Home : Prisoners' Rights

ACLU of New Mexico Demands End to Overcrowding in Women’s Prison (04/04/2006)
SANTA FE, NM – The American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico today asked a state court to force Corrections Secretary Joe Williams to relieve overcrowding at the New Mexico Women’s Correctional Facility in Grants. According to the ACLU, inmates are being housed in public communal areas that are not designed for long-term custody, causing increased tensions and fighting among inmates as well as the backup of sewage into living areas.

Advocates Urge Accountability for U.S. Abuse of Power and Hurricane Katrina’s Human Rights Crisis (03/16/2006)
NEW YORK - The American Civil Liberties Union and the U.S. Human Rights Network today urged the U.N. Human Rights Committee to hold the U.S. government accountable for flagrant and repeated violations of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

ACLU of Wisconsin Seeks Further Court Action to Remedy "Appalling" Jail Conditions (01/31/2006)
MILWAUKEE, WI -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin and the Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee today asked a court to levy fines against Milwaukee County for failing to correct what experts described as “unacceptable, if not appalling” conditions at the Milwaukee County Jail.

ACLU of New Mexico Files Lawsuit Over Jail Guard's Sexual Abuse of Female Prisoners (01/25/2006)
ALBUQUERQUE, NM - The American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico today filed claims of sexual abuse and 'cruel and unusual punishment' against a McKinley County detention officer, Brian Orr, on behalf of two female inmates from Wyoming.

ACLU Fights Virginia Law Barring Prisoners from Obtaining Medical Information (01/19/2006)
BIG STONE GAP, VA -- With help from the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia and the Rutherford Institute, a prisoner suffering from Hepatitis C today filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking to overturn a Virginia statute that prevents him from obtaining a copy of the Department of Corrections policy describing how it is supposed to treat the disease.

ACLU of Rhode Island Files Appeal on Behalf of Christian Prisoner Barred from Preaching at Religious Services (01/12/2006)
PROVIDENCE, RI -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island announced today that it has filed an appeal in federal court on behalf of a Christian prisoner who was barred from preaching during religious services at the state prison.

ACLU Urges New Orleans City Council to Review Conditions at Prison (12/08/2005)
In response to reports that hundreds of prisoners have returned to Orleans Parish Prison, the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana today urged the City Council to conduct a full and thorough review of the conditions within the facility. In letters to each council member, the ACLU expressed concern that Sheriff Marlin N. Gusman re-opened the prison despite the lack of adequate evacuation plans or medical staff and equipment.

Men and Women at Orleans Parish Prison Detail Chaos Following Katrina (11/17/2005)
NEW ORLEANS -- In legal papers filed today by the American Civil Liberties Union, 45 men and women formerly detained at Orleans Parish Prison recount disturbing details of being abandoned without food or water and abused by guards after Hurricane Katrina struck.

Sheriff Illegally Withholding Records on Orleans Parish Prison, ACLU Lawsuit Charges (11/10/2005)
BATON ROUGE, LA--The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana today filed a lawsuit charging that Orleans Parish Prison officials are violating state law by refusing to turn over public records that would shine light on why prisoners were abandoned when Hurricane Katrina struck.

ACLU Calls on New Orleans City Council to Hold Hearing on Plans to Re-Open Prison (10/21/2005)
NEW ORLEANS -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana today sent letters to New Orleans City Council members urging them to immediately schedule a hearing on plans to re-open the Orleans Parish Prison (OPP), which the ACLU says plunged into chaos after Hurricane Katrina hit.

Roderick Keith Johnson Speaks Out About Verdict in Prison Rape Case (10/19/2005)
WICHITA FALLS, TX -- Roderick Keith Johnson, a gay former prisoner who was repeatedly raped and sold as a sex slave by prison gangs, today expressed disappointment in a jury verdict dismissing his civil lawsuit against the prison officials who ignored his pleas for help.