Overwhelmingly, American jails and prisons are dangerous and dehumanizing places. The men, women and children in jail or prison are at the mercy of their keepers, who control their physical location, safety, medical and mental health, even their ability to seek or speak with their families and loved ones.
Yet, being incarcerated should not constitute forfeiture of an individual’s right to basic dignity.
We advocate for safe conditions, access to quality physical and mental health care and protection from harassment and sexual assault.
Key Cases
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Mays v. Dart
Health and Safety
An emergency class action lawsuit has been filed against Cook County Sheriff Thomas Dart, asking for the immediate release of medically vulnerable people in the Cook County Jail in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis.
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Complaint to DOJ Following Deaths in MDOC
Health and Safety
As indicated by its track record over the last several years and substantiated by the events of the last ten days, Mississippi is deliberately and systematically subjecting people in its care to a substantial risk of serious harm due to understaffing, in violation of the rights secured and protected by the Eighth Amendment to the...
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Postawko v. Missouri Department of Corrections
Health and Safety
The MacArthur Justice Center and the ACLU of Missouri jointly a federal class action lawsuit challenging the Missouri Department of Corrections' (MDOC) systematic denial of potential life-saving medication to inmates with chronic Hepatitis C (HCV).
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Johnson v. Kempter County et al.
Health and Safety
Wayne Johnson was incarcerated at the Kemper Neshoba Regional Correctional Facility for failure to pay fines owed to the Meridian, Mississippi Municipal Court. Despite being sentenced to only two days in jail, Mr. Johnson was detained for more than 50 days. Kemper County, Sheriff James Moore, and five correctional officers have been sued by the... -
Tay Tay v. Illinois Department of Corrections
Health and Safety
A transgender woman currently housed at Danville Correctional Facility, a medium security men’s prison, has filed a federal lawsuit against the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) after being repeatedly subjected to sexual harassment and assault by both prisoners and IDOC staff. The complaint has been filed anonymously under the name “Tay Tay,” at the request...
Key Facts
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Basic Dignity
The Eighth and Fourteen Amendments of the Constitution guarantee that prisoners will be treated humanely and with respect for basic dignity. -
No Independent Authority
The United States is the only democracy in the world that has no independent authority to monitor prison conditions and enforce minimal standards of health and safety. -
More Than Half
More than half of all Americans in prison or jail have a mental illness. -
Transgender Safety
The Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 (PREA) recognizes “Being transgender is a known risk factor for being sexually victimized in confinement settings.” -
Transgender Inmates Targeted
Transgender prisoners are victimized at rates nearly 10x those for prisoners in general. -
Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C is rampant in correctional facilities. In the state of Missouri, at least 10-10% of the population within the Department of Corrections is infected. However, only 0.11% are being treated. -
COVID-19
During the COVID-19 pandemic, jails and prisons remain one of the hot spots for infection, with the Cook County jail having one of the highest rates of infection in the world.
in the news
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Federal judge orders social distancing inside Cook County Jail
The Rock River Times April 27, 2020 -
Thousands of Pre-Trial Detainees Are at Risk of Coronavirus Just Because They’re Poor
Vice News April 5, 2020 -
Civil rights probe into Mississippi prisons officially opened, Justice Department confirms
Mississippi Today February 5, 2020 -
Sentenced to 2 days but held for 54: How one man’s jail suicide underscores Mississippi’s mental health care crisis
The Washington Post October 16, 2019 -
Degrading strip search of 200 women prisoners cries out for courts to act
CNN October 3, 2019 -
Transgender inmate sues for transfer to female Illinois prison
Chicago Sun-Times May 15, 2019