Home : Prisoners' Rights : Restriction of Rights

HIV-Positive Prisoners Receive More Equal Treatment in Alabama After ACLU's Efforts (11/01/2007)
MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- After years of advocacy by the American Civil Liberties Union, AIDS Alabama and state legislators, the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) has agreed to give HIV-positive prisoners greater access to visitation, educational programs, substance abuse treatment programs, and religious services. Until now, HIV-positive prisoners have been denied these programs and services offered to the general population of inmates.

New Jersey Citizens on Parole and Probation Bring Plea For Right to Vote to Human Rights Body (09/14/2006)
NEWARK -- The American Civil Liberties Union and the Rutgers Law School Constitutional Litigation Clinic filed a petition today urging the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to rule that denying New Jersey citizens on parole and probation the right to vote violates universal human rights principles.

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.

Colorado Agrees to Restore Jewish Prisoner's Kosher Diet in Response to ACLU Lawsuit (10/13/2005)
COLARADO SPRINGS -- In response to a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado the Department of Corrections (DOC) has agreed to resume providing kosher meals to Timothy Sheline, a Jewish prisoner whose kosher diet was revoked for one year as punishment for allegedly violating a minor dining hall rule.COLARADO SPRINGS -- In response to a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado the Department of Corrections (DOC) has agreed to resume providing kosher meals to Timothy Sheline, a Jewish prisoner whose kosher diet was revoked for one year as punishment for allegedly violating a minor dining hall rule.

ACLU Applauds Supreme Court Ruling Protecting Religious Liberty in Prisons (05/31/2005)
WASHINGTON -- The American Civil Liberties Union today applauded an unusual unanimous vote by the Supreme Court upholding the constitutionality of a federal law that requires states to allow prisoners to practice their religious beliefs.

Minnesota Prison Officials End Censorship of ACLU Publication After Threat of Lawsuit (05/27/2005)
ST. PAUL, MN -- The American Civil Liberties Union today applauded prison officials' policy revision allowing Minnesota prisoners in segregation to receive publications containing legal material. The policy change came on the eve of the ACLU's filing that would have challenged the censorship of the organization's legal journal for prisoners.

ACLU Settles Lawsuit Challenging Censorship Policies in Colorado Prisons (11/30/2004)
DENVER--The American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado announced today that it has settled its lawsuit challenging the state's broad censorship of books, newspapers, magazines, and political commentary available to prisoners.

ACLU Files Lawsuit on Behalf of Louisiana Inmate Punished for Mother's Internet Ad Seeking Legal Help for Her Son (09/18/2003)
BATON ROUGE, LA- In a federal lawsuit filed today, the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana charged officials at the state penitentiary at Angola with violating an inmate's rights when they punished him because his mother posted an online advertisement seeking legal assistance for her son.

West Virginia High Court Rules for Fundamental Fairness in Implementing State Prisons' 'Good Behavior' Policy (06/19/2003)
CHARLESTON, WV--In a victory for the due process rights of prison inmates, the state Supreme Court today ruled that prison officials here could not deny an inmate the possibility of earning "good time" credit that could reduce their sentences, the American Civil Liberties of West Virginia announced.

Arizona Judge Strikes Down Law that Censored Anti-Death Penalty Web Sites (05/15/2003)
PHOENIX -- The American Civil Liberties Union today welcomed a federal judge's ruling permanently striking down a state law that punishes prisoners who post information about themselves on the Internet and denies organizations the right to post information about prisoners on their own web sites.

ACLU of West Virginia Calls for Fundamental Fairness in Implementing State Prisons' 'Good Behavior' Policy (04/09/2003)
CHARLESTON, WV--The American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia today argued before the state Supreme Court that prison officials here violated the due process rights of an inmate when they denied him the possibility of earning "good time" credit that could reduce his sentence.

Judge Blocks Arizona Law that Censored Anti-Death Penalty Web Sites (12/16/2002)
PHOENIX - Citing fears of "irreparable harm" to the First Amendment, a federal judge today halted enforcement of an Arizona law that bars all information about state prisoners from the global Internet and bans communication between prisoners and organizations that may publish information about them on their web sites.

CA Court Says Prisoners Have First Amendment Right To Receive "Snail Mail" Printed From the Internet (09/11/2002)
SAN FRANCISCO--In a case that affects prisoners throughout the state, a federal judge today upheld the First Amendment right of a California prisoner to receive mail that contains material printed from the Internet.

ACLU Challenges Arizona Law That Censors Anti-Death Penalty Web Sites (07/18/2002)
PHOENIX-Acting on behalf of anti-death penalty and other advocacy groups, the American Civil Liberties Union today filed a lawsuit in Arizona federal district court seeking to invalidate a state law that bans all information about Arizona prisoners from the global Internet. 

ACLU Welcomes Michigan Prisons' New Policy On Privileged Prisoner Mail (05/01/2002)
WASHINGTON-The American Civil Liberties Union's National Prison Project welcomes a new policy instituted today by the Michigan Department of Corrections that bans prison staff from reading or skimming privileged prisoner legal mail. 

Broad Coalition Calls on Attorney General to Rescind "Unprecedented Frontal Assault" on Attorney-Client Confidentiality (12/20/2001)
WASHINGTON--In comments filed today with the U.S. Department of Justice, the American Civil Liberties Union and a broad coalition of 18 civil rights, privacy, law enforcement and religious groups called on Attorney General John Ashcroft to rescind his order authorizing law enforcement to listen in on the confidential attorney-client communications of persons in federal custody. 

Power Grab Allows Government Eavesdropping on Inmate-Attorney Conversations (11/09/2001)
WASHINGTON -- Calling it an unprecedented power grab completely at odds with the Constitution, the American Civil Liberties Union today said it vehemently opposes the new Bureau of Prisons regulation allowing the government to listen in on conversations between prison inmates and their legal counsel. 

ACLU Files Lawsuit on Behalf of Connecticut Prisoner Seeking Family Visitation Rights (06/29/2001)
HARTFORD, CT--The Connecticut Civil Liberties Union today filed a federal lawsuit against the state Department of Corrections (DOC) for terminating the visitation rights of a prisoner's wife and infant son. 

ACLU Asks Appeals Court To Protect Privacy of MN Inmate Phone Calls to Attorneys (05/26/2000)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota today asked a federal appeals court to protect the confidentiality of inmate telephone calls to attorneys and declare the state Department of Corrections practice of monitoring and recording telephone conversations illegal and unconstitutional.