Jails and Prisons
As required by its authorizing statute,
the Section's enforcement work in jails and prisons is limited to enforcing
the constitutional rights of pre-trial detainees and inmates. The
Section's jail and prison work has involved investigations into the physical
safety of inmates (including protection from physical and sexual abuse
by staff and other inmates, dangerous fire-safety violations, unsanitary
conditions, and the spread of dangerous communicable diseases like tuberculosis),
the adequacy of medical care, the provision of mental health services,
and access to courts.
Under CRIPA, the Section has initiated investigations of more than 100
jails and prisons throughout the country. Many of these investigations
resulted in settlements to improve conditions for inmates. Most recently,
the Section brought and settled two statewide cases involving the right
of women prisoners to be protected from sexual abuse by prison guards and
to be free from unreasonable invasions of privacy during dressing, showering
and using toilet facilities. In a number of cases, the Section has
focused on the treatment of mentally ill inmates, including facilities'
responses to suicide risks and the use of force and isolation in response
to manifestations of mental illness.
For further information, follow the links below:
Updated July 25, 2008
