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Serving People from Arrest to Reintegration

No Equal Justice: The Prison Litigation Reform Act in the United States (Human Rights Watch)

  • Organization: Human Rights Watch
  • Document Type: Report
  • Date Created: Tuesday, June 16, 2009
  • Submitted: Friday, October 15, 2010
  • Attachment(s): LINK

The 46-page report, "No Equal Justice: The Prison Litigation Reform Act in the United States," addresses a law passed by Congress in 1996 that singles out lawsuits brought by prisoners for a host of burdens and restrictions that apply to no one else. The report shows that as a result of the law, many cases brought by prisoners seeking the protection of the courts against dangerous conditions of confinement, or a remedy for sexual assault or other abuse by staff or inmates, have been thrown out of court.

Drawing on interviews with former corrections officials, prisoners denied remedies for abuse, and criminal justice experts, "No Equal Justice" examines the effect of the Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA) on prisoners' access to justice, and concludes with specific recommendations for reform of the law.

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