American Civil Liberties Union

Prisoners' Rights:
The ACLU's National Prison Project is the only national litigation program on behalf of prisoners. Since 1972, the NPP has represented more than 100,000 men, women and children. The NPP continues to fight unconstitutional conditions and the "lock 'em up" mentality that prevails in the legislatures. Learn more about our project and take action to protect the rights guaranteed to all Americans.


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Prisoner Rights : Women in Prison : Press Releases view all

Women at Wisconsin’s Taycheedah Prison Suffer Medical Neglect and Receive Worse Mental Health Care Than Men (05/02/2006)
MILWAUKEE -- In the first class action lawsuit on behalf of women prisoners in Wisconsin, the American Civil Liberties Union is charging that the state prison system puts the lives of women prisoners at risk through grossly deficient health care and provides far inferior mental health treatment as compared to men.

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 Asks Court to Grant Class Action Status in Saginaw County Jail For Abuse of Detainees (05/02/2005)
DETROIT -- Although the Saginaw County sheriff claims that a policy of stripping and holding pre-trial detainees naked in a segregated cell has ended, there is now evidence that this long-standing practice may still exist, the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan said in legal papers filed late Friday requesting class action status for its lawsuit over the matter.

New ACLU Report Documents Harsh Conditions Faced by Women Living on Death Row (11/29/2004)
WASHINGTON - A new report released today by the American Civil Liberties Union -- the first-ever national survey of women currently on Death Row -- found that women who have been sentenced to death are often subjected to harsh living conditions, including being forced to live in virtual isolation, and many are sentenced for crimes that don't result in a death sentence for men.

ACLU Returns to Court on Behalf of Women at Medical Risk in Sweltering Baltimore City Jail (08/06/2003)
BALTIMORE -- Attorneys representing hundreds of women confined in the Women's Detention Center (WDC) here will appear before U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz today to force state officials to abide by an order issued last summer to protect women at medical risk because of excessive heat in the jail's dormitories, the American Civil Liberties Union announced today.

Prisoner Rights : Women in Prison : Publications

Executive Summary of The Forgotten Population: A Look at Death Row in the United States Through the Experiences of Women (11/29/2004)
Since 1973, 148 women have been sentenced to death in the United States. As of December 2004, there are 50 women on Death Row. These women vary in age from 22 to 73 years old and have been on Death Row for periods ranging from a few months to nearly 20 years. While much attention has been paid to women who have already been executed, such as Aileen Wournos and Karla Faye Tucker, little is known about the experiences of women who are living on Death Row.

Prisoner Rights : Women in Prison : Legal Documents

ACLU Brief in Robin Darbyshire v. Extraditions International, Inc. (04/11/2002)

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