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Conditions of Confinement
CONDITIONS OF CONFINEMENT
Over 2 million Americans are in prison or jail, and a disproportionate number are people of color. Locked out of sight and isolated from their families and communities, prisoners are vulnerable to a wide range of abuses, and the population of people who are incarcerated continues to grow. Within this group, juveniles are especially vulnerable. The ACLU’s Racial Justice Program, National Prison Project, Women's Rights Project and other projects work to ensure the humane treatment of incarcerated people. |
Locking Up Our Children: ACLU Issues Report on Unjust Detention of Youth in Massachusetts (5/12/2008)
A widespread practice in Massachusetts of locking up youth
accused of minor offenses and who pose little or no danger to their communities
is unfair, threatens public safety and wastes public money, according to a
report released in May 2008 by the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of
Massachusetts. The report documents the
use of detention by state judges as a rehabilitative tool to frighten youth
never convicted of wrongdoing. The report also addresses the woeful lack of
placement availability in the state's child welfare and mental health systems
that leave detention as the only viable option for youth who cannot safely be
returned to their homes. Locking Up Our Children is a follow-up report to a 2003 report by the ACLU, which documented the disproportionate representation of youth of color in Massachusett's juvenile justice system. Read the full report >>
Landmark Settlement Reached in Lawsuit Challenging Conditions at Hutto Detention Center
On August 27, the ACLU announced a landmark settlement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that greatly improves conditions for immigrant children and their families in the T. Don Hutto detention center in Taylor, Texas. Learn More >>
> Landmark Settlement Announced in Federal Lawsuit Challenging Conditions at Immigrant Detention Center in Texas (8/27/2007)
Broken Promises: Two Years After Katrina
Two years ago, Hurricane Katrina ripped through the Gulf Coast, devastating the homes and lives of millions of people. The ACLU has been inundated with reports of racial injustice and human rights violations in Louisiana and Mississippi, both during and since Katrina. Broken Promises, a comprehensive report from the ACLU, documents the terrible conditions and dangerous lack of planning at the Orleans Parish Prison, and details other increases in police abuse, racial profiling, housing discrimination, along with other civil liberties violations and the ACLU's continuing response.
Read the report and learn more>>
Meeting the Needs of Texas Girls in Custody
Drawing on intensive on-site research, this report describes the conditions of confinement experienced by girls in the custody of the Texas Youth Commission (TYC). In TYC's massive juvenile prisons, a harsh regime of control and punishment not only fails to rehabilitate girls, but exacerbates past trauma and inflicts additional damage on confined children.
Learn More >>
Report: Custody and Control - Conditions of Confinement in New York's Juvenile Prisons for Girls
Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union take the first in-depth look at New York's highest security juvenile prisons for girls. The findings are disturbing: "delinquent" young girls from backgrounds of intergenerational poverty, many of whom have survived abuse and trauma, are locked up and again abused and neglected, this time at the hands of the state. This report documents the excessive use of a face-down "restraint" procedure, incidents of sexual abuse, and inadequate educational and mental health services. Learn more >>
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Prisoner Rights
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Conditions of Confinement
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Press Releases
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ACLU Calls On Federal Judge To Levy Sanctions Against Virgin Islands Officials For Failing To Improve Jail Conditions (05/28/2009)
ST. THOMAS, VI – The American Civil Liberties Union today will ask a federal judge to enact additional sanctions against top government officials in the Virgin Islands for failing to improve the conditions at the Virgin Islands Criminal Justice Complex (CJC), despite standing court orders.
ACLU Files Lawsuit On Behalf Of Wyoming Prisoner Retaliated Against For Reporting Abuse (02/24/2009)
CHEYENNE, WY – The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Wyoming today filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of a prisoner at the Wyoming State Penitentiary who was forced into solitary confinement for nearly two months in retaliation for reporting the abuse of a fellow prisoner by prison guards.
ACLU Urges Investigation Into Conditions At Texas Prison (02/05/2009)
WASHINGTON – The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Texas today strongly urged the Department of Justice's Office of the Inspector General (OIG) to investigate the conditions at a federal prison in West Texas after a riot broke out there over the weekend.
Judge Calls Maricopa County Jail Conditions Unconstitutional (10/22/2008)
PHOENIX - A U.S. district court judge today ruled that the grossly inadequate conditions at the Maricopa County Jail, overseen by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, are unconstitutional and jeopardize the health and safety of prisoners.
ACLU Investigation Reveals Grossly Inadequate Conditions On Federal Death Row (10/15/2008)
TERRE HAUTE, IN – Existing conditions on federal death row are grossly inadequate, fail to meet constitutional standards and jeopardize the health and safety of the men who live there, according to an American Civil Liberties Union investigation.
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Prisoner Rights
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Conditions of Confinement
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Publications
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Broken Promises: Two Years After Katrina (08/20/2007)
With Broken Promises: Two Years After Katrina, the ACLU brings Abandoned & Abused into the present. Another year has passed, and OPP remains dangerously ill prepared to handle a future emergency.
A Blueprint for Meeting the Needs of Girls in TYC Custody (05/24/2007)
Drawing on intensive on-site research, this report describes the conditions of confinement experienced by girls in the custody of the Texas Youth Commission (TYC). In TYC's massive juvenile prisons, a harsh regime of control and punishment not only fails to rehabilitate girls, but exacerbates past trauma and inflicts additional damage on confined children.
Abandoned & Abused: Complete Report (08/09/2006)
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Prisoner Rights
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Conditions of Confinement
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Legal Documents
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Benkahla v. Federal Bureau of Prisons, et al. - Amended Complaint (06/18/2009)
Carty v. DeJongh - Report of Plaintiffs' Expert Steve J. Martin (03/23/2009)
Carty v. DeJongh - Mental Health Report by Dr. Jeffrey L. Metzner (03/20/2009)
Joseph Miller v. Michael Grubbe, et al. - Complaint (02/24/2009)
The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Wyoming filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of a prisoner at the Wyoming State Penitentiary who was forced into solitary confinement for nearly two months in retaliation for reporting the abuse of a fellow prisoner by prison guards.
Graves v. Arpaio - Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law and Order (10/22/2008)
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Prisoner Rights
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Legislative Documents
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National Prison Project Letter to Rep. Melvin Watt, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus (08/10/2006)
National Prison Project letter asking Congress to audit the Orlean Parish Prison's emergency preparedness plans. The ACLU is calling for a full and immediate investigation into abuses at Louisiana correctional facilities during and after hurricane Katrina and is also urging the DOJ to make the findings from such an investigation public and accessible to state and federal prosecutors.
ACLU National Prison Project Letter to Rep. Cynthia McKinney (08/10/2006)
National Prison Project letter asking Congress to audit the Orlean Parish Prison's emergency preparedness plans. The ACLU is calling for a full and immediate investigation into abuses at Louisiana correctional facilities during and after hurricane Katrina and is also urging the DOJ to make the findings from such an investigation public and accessible to state and federal prosecutors.
Abandoned & Abused: Letter to President Bush (08/09/2006)
National Prison Project Letter to the Department of Justice (08/09/2006)
National Prison Project letter asking Congress to audit the Orlean Parish Prison's emergency preparedness plans. The ACLU is calling for a full and immediate investigation into abuses at Louisiana correctional facilities during and after hurricane Katrina and is also urging the DOJ to make the findings from such an investigation public and accessible to state and federal prosecutors.
National Prison Project Letter to Rep. Tom Davis (Chairman of Select Bipartisan Committee) (08/09/2006)
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Prisoner Rights
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Conditions of Confinement
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Resources
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ACLU Letter to Department of Justice's Office of the Inspector General Requesting Investigation into Violations at Reeves County Detention Center (02/05/2009)
ACLU Letter to Congress Regarding Federal Death Row Conditions (10/15/2008)
ACLU of South Carolina Letter to Gov. Mark Sanford Requesting an Independent Audit of the South Carolina Prison System (08/26/2008)
Broken Promises: Two Years After Katrina - Executive Summary (08/20/2007)
Broken Promises brings Abandoned & Abused into the present. Another year has passed, and OPP remains dangerously ill prepared to handle a future emergency. OPP's House of Detention and Central Lock-Up are both overcrowded and understaffed.
Broken Promises: Two Years After Katrina - Table of Contents (08/20/2007)
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Prisoner Rights
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Conditions of Confinement
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Fact Sheets
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Know Your Rights: Disciplinary Sanctions and Punishment (06/02/2006)
Know Your Rights: Environmental Hazards and Toxic Materials (06/02/2006)
Know Your Rights: Assault and Excessive Force (06/02/2006)
Summary of Testimonials From Inmates Incarcerated at Orleans Parish Prison During Hurricane Katrina (11/18/2005)
Summary of Testimonials from Inmates Incarcerated at New Orleans Old Parish Prison during Hurricane Katrina
Testimonials of Six Inmates Incarcerated at New Orleans Old Parish Prison during Hurricane Katrina (11/18/2005)
Testimonials of Six Inmates Incarcerated at New Orleans Old Parish Prison during Hurricane Katrina
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Prisoner Rights
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Conditions of Confinement
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Court Cases
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Benkahla v. Federal Bureau of Prisons, et al. (06/18/2009)
The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Indiana today filed a legal complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana challenging the confinement of an American citizen in a Communication Management Unit (CMU) – secretly created housing units inside federal prisons in which prisoners are condemned to live in stark isolation from the outside world.
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