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Prisoners' Rights Law Resources: Resources by Topic

A gateway to information on prisoners' rights, including federal, state, and international primary and secondary sources, in print and online, with a particular focus on special populations and topical issues.

General

Standards on Treatment of Prisoners
American Bar Association, Criminal Justice Section (2010) (updated Dec. 5, 2018).

U.S. Prisons

Due Process

Due Process in Prison: Protecting Inmates' Property after Sandin v. Conner
Kaitlin Cassel, Note, 112 Colum. L. Rev. 2110 (2012)
Rights of Prisoners
Justia.com review of U.S. Supreme Court decisions
Bureau of Prisons Communications Management Units: 2014 Documents Detail Due Process Violations
Center for Constitutional Rights
The Procedural Due Process Rights of the Stigmatized Prisoner
Lindsey Webb, 15 U. Pa. J. Const. L. 1055 (2013)

Prison Conditions

Prison Conditions: Key Facts
Penal Reform International
Prison Conditions
Equal Justice Initiative
America's Prison System is Inhumane. Here's Why.
Judith Lichtenberg, The Week (Sept. 3, 2016)
Prison Condition Cases, Dockets, and Filings
Justia.org

Life Sentences & Capital Punishment

Death Penalty Information Center
5 Facts About the Death Penalty
David Masci, Pew Research Center August 2, 2018)
The Death Penalty in 2016: Facts and Figures
Amnesty International (April 11, 2017)

Re-Entry to Society

Prisoner Reentry Institute
Research Consortium of John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
Prisoner Reentry Support
Prison Fellowship
Reentry Programs
Federal Bureau of Prisons
Reentry Programs for Ex-Offenders-By State
HelpforFelons.org
Felons Get Hired
Organization listing companies that hire felons and information regarding housing, etc.
Bureau of Prisons “Ready to Work” Initiative Seeks New Business Partnerships to Strengthen Reentry Success and Address National Hiring Challenges
Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, June 13, 2019.

Legal Services/Libraries

Prisoner Education Debates in Congress (e-book) by Mark Tim Yates
ISBN: 1593324901
Publication Date: 2012
Working for Justice by Stephen John Hartnett et al., eds.
Call Number: e-book
ISBN: 0252037707
Publication Date: 2013

A Jailhouse Lawyer's Manual
Columbia Human Rights Law Review (previous edition is free online; current edition is $30 for prisoners; $140 for the public)

Voting Rights

State Felony Disenfranchisement Laws (Map)
American Civil Liberties Union
State Felon Voting Laws Chart
Felony Disenfranchisement
The Sentencing Project (2017)
Felon Disenfranchisement
Prison Policy Initiative
Criminal Disenfranchisement in an International Perspective
Alec Ewald & Brandon Rottinghaus, eds. (2009) (JF831 .C75).

Religion

Enforcing Religious Freedom in Prison
U.S. Comm'n on Civil Rights (2010) (e-book)
Why Religious Freedom for Prisoners Matters
Luke W. Goodrich, The Hill, Oct. 7, 2014
Prisoners Gain Access to Religious Materials, Resolving DOJ Lawsuit
U.S. Dep't of Justice, Civil Rights Div. (January 2012)

Qualified Immunity of Law & Corrections Personnel

Judge Gorsuch on Qualified Immunity
Shannon M. Grammel, Essay, Stanford Law Review Online (2017)
Qualified Immunity Limiting Access to Justice and Impeding Development of the Law
Alan K. Chen, 41 Hum. Rts. Mag. (ABA 2015)
Qualified Immunity and Excessive Force: A Greater or Lesser Role for Juries?
Nicholas T. Davis & Philip B. Davis, 47 N.M. L. Rev. 291 (2017)

Communications & Mail

Prisoner Mail Legal Issues
2007 (6) AELE Mo. L. J. 301, Jail & Prisoner Law Section (June, 2007)
Calling the Supreme Court : Prisoners’ Constitutional Right To Telephone Use
Peter L. Shults, Note, 92 B.U. L. Rev. 369 (2012)

Families & Visitation

Family Unity Project
Legal Services for Prisoners With Children
Know Your Rights: In Prison - Restrictions on Visitation
ACLU (2011)
Children of Incarcerated Parents: The Child's Constitutional Right to the Family Relationship
Chesa Boudin, 101 J. Crim. L. & Criminology 77 (2011).

Women in Prison

Women in Prison
ACLU
Women in Prison
The Marshall Project
Women
The Sentencing Project
Women
Prison Policy Initiative

Race

Human Rights and the Criminal Justice System by Anthony Amatrudo & Leslie William Blake
Call Number: K3240 .A465
ISBN: 0415688914
Publication Date: 2015
Slaves of the State: Black Incarceration from the Chain Gang to the Penitentiary (e-book) by Dennis Childs
ISBN: 0816692408
Publication Date: 2015

Health Care & Addiction Services

Substance Abuse Treatment
Bureau of Prisons
Guidelines for Successful Transition of People with Mental or Substance Use Disorders from Jail and Prison: Implementation Guide
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (2017)
CorrectCare: National Commission on Correctional Health Care
American Correctional Ass'n (ACA) Office of Correctional Health Care

Practical Guide to Correctional Mental Health and the Law by Fred Cohen
Call Number: KF9731 .C643
ISBN: 1887554866
Publication Date: 2011

Grievances: Exhaustion of Administrative Remedies

Jones v. Bock
549 U.S. 199 (2007) (inmates are not required to specially plead or demonstrate exhaustion of administrative remedies in their complaints).
Ross v. Blake
136 S. Ct. 1850, 195 L. Ed. 2d 117 (2016) (a prisoner need not exhaust remedies if they are not “available”).
PLRA: Exhaustion of Remedies
Americans for Effective Law Enforcement (AELE) Legal Center (2011)

Last Updated: Oct 6, 2023 2:19 PM
URL: https://libraryguides.law.pace.edu/prisoners
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Subjects: Criminal Law & Procedure

Tags: criminal law, eighth amendment, human rights, inmates, prisoners