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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 In Court Today Challenging Conditions At Maricopa County Jail (08/12/2008)
PHOENIX – The American Civil Liberties Union is in a federal district court beginning today seeking to rebuff an attempt by Maricopa County and its sheriff, Joe Arpaio, to terminate a federal consent decree mandating that he maintain conditions at the Maricopa County Jail that meet constitutional minimums.
Prison Litigation Reform Act Must be Fixed, Law denies justice to victims (04/22/2008)
Washington, DC – The House Judiciary’s Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security is scheduled to examine reform of the Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA), which was originally passed by Congress in 1996 as a way to stem the tide against what were thought to be frivolous lawsuits by prisoners. Since that time, the law has been used repeatedly to deny justice to victims of rape, assault, religious rights violations and other serious abuses.
Breakthrough in Case for Children Stuck in Costly Mental Institutions (09/28/2007)
LOS ANGELES - In a breakthrough ruling that affects more than 25,000 California children suffering from serious mental illness, U.S. District Judge A. Howard Matz has ordered an expert to oversee the expansion of home- and community-based mental health services for children who would otherwise end up in costly group homes and institutions.
ACLU Report Exposes Ongoing Civil and Human Rights Violations on the Gulf Coast as Katrina's Second Anniversary Nears (08/20/2007)
NEW ORLEANS - The American Civil Liberties Union today released a report revealing continuing incidents of racial injustice and human rights abuses on the Gulf Coast since Hurricane Katrina devastated the area two years ago. In its report, Broken Promises: Two Years After Katrina, the ACLU exposes numerous civil rights violations that have occurred in Louisiana and Mississippi since the storm, including reports of heightened racially motivated police activity, housing discrimination, and prisoner abuse.
NYCLU Urges City Council to Oppose Jail Standard Changes (06/07/2007)
NEW YORK - In testimony today before the New York City Council, the New York Civil Liberties Union will argue that proposed changes to the Minimum Standards governing New York City jails would erode civil liberties and public safety and unfairly punish pre-trial prisoners who have not been convicted of any crime. Along with a coalition of advocates, the NYCLU will ask the City Council to urge the New York City Board of Correction to abandon the proposed changes.
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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)
A Blueprint for Meeting the Needs of Girls in TYC Custody
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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ACLU Letter to Lappin Regarding Federal Death Row Conditions (10/15/2008)
Graves et al. v. Arpaio et al. - Pretrial Brief (07/30/2008)
Baubonyte v. Chertoff - Declaration of Egle Baubonyte (03/06/2007)
Richard Carbajal v. Chertoff and Angelina Carbajal v. Chertoff - Declaration of Elsa Carbajal (03/06/2007)
Aisha Ibrahim v. Chertoff - Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief on Behalf of Aisha Ibrahim (03/06/2007)
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Prisoner Rights
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Conditions of Confinement
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Legislative Documents
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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.
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.
Abandoned & Abused: Letter to President Bush (08/09/2006)
National Prison Project Letter to Rep. Tom Davis (Chairman of Select Bipartisan Committee) (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.
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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 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)
Abandoned & Abused: Executive Summary and Recommendations (08/09/2006)
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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: Assault and Excessive Force (06/02/2006)
Know Your Rights: Environmental Hazards and Toxic Materials (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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