Prisoner Rights & Resources

Prisoners are entitled to fundamental rights under the Constitution, and they need to know what those rights are and how to protect them. See below for the Prisoners Rights and Resources Section which contains links to a variety of national resources related to corrections and the rights of those incarcerated.

• American Civil Liberties Union - The official Prison Rights website of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the only national litigation program on behalf of prisoners.
• Rights of Inmates (FindLaw) - A comprehensive overview of the constitutional rights of those incarcerated.
• National Legal Aid and Defender Association - A non-profit organization dedicated to representing indigent defendants.
• Prison Activist Resource Center - A source for progressive and radical information on prisons and the criminal prosecution system.
• Legal Aid Society of New York - Advocating for constitutional and humane conditions of confinement for prisoners in the New York City and State correctional systems.
• Prisoners and Prisoners' Rights - An overview of inmates' rights, and links to a menu of related resources.
• Justice Denied - A magazine devoted to helping people who have been wrongly convicted in the U.S.
• Partnership for Safety and Justice - The Partnership for Safety and Justice (formerly The Western Prison Project) publishes a prisoner support directory.
• National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty - The official website of the only fully-staffed national organization exclusively devoted to abolishing capital punishment.
• Cabrini Green Legal Aid (CLAIM) - A Chicago-based organization providing legal and educational services, to help imprisoned mothers preserve their families.
• Just Detention International - Just Detention International is a health and human rights organization that seeks to end sexual abuse in all forms of detention.
• Preventing Prison Rape (FindLaw) - Addressing the epidemic in the country's prison facilities.
• Amnesty International - International human rights organization that covers a wide variety of issues, including the rights of prisoners and inmates.
• Human Rights Watch - Website of an organization seeking to end the abusive treatment of prisoners.
• HIV & Hepatitis Education Prison Project - Concerned with educating and informing on infectious disease in corrections.
• National Ass'n of the Deaf - Rights of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Inmates - An overview of rights and remedies for deaf inmates.
• The Eighth Amendment (FindLaw) - A look at the source of a prisoner's constitutional rights.
• Death Penalty Information Center - A non-profit organization serving the media and the public, with analysis and information on issues concerning capital punishment.
• Books Not Bars - Working to expose and end the over-incarceration of youth
• Prisoner Action Coalition - Advocating to improve conditions in California prisons, and assist individual prisoners with legal matters.
• Prison Legal News - An independent publication that reports, reviews, and analyzes court rulings and news related to prisoner rights and prison issues.
• Jewish Prisoner Services International - Providing direct spiritual, outreach, and advocacy services for Jewish prisoners and their loved ones.
• The Sentencing Project - A national leader in the development of alternative sentencing programs and in research and advocacy on criminal justice policy.
• Citizens United for Rehabilitation of Errants (C.U.R.E.) - Nation-wide grass roots organization dedicated to reducing crime through reform of the criminal justice system.
• Native American Indian Spiritual Freedom in Prison - Discusses recent cases and provides links to related resources.
• Prisoner Advocacy Network - Prisoners and advocates united for human rights.

Talk to an Attorney about Prisoners' Rights

There are many resources available to prisoners concerning their rights. This is critical since inmates can face complicated situations including harsh conditions like inadequate facilities and potential threats of abuse. If you or someone you know is dealing with similar situations, then you should talk to an experienced civil rights attorney today.