Prisoners' Rights

Prison

Although the state is permitted to deny a person certain rights to liberty and property under criminal justice laws, prisoners retain their rights to other basic protections and freedoms - among these are freedom from cruel and unusual punishment, freedom of religion, the right to legal representation, and the right to due process.

The ACLU works to ensure that conditions of confinement are constitutional and consistent with health, safety, and human dignity.

The Latest

Podcast
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Shut Down Berks: Ending family detention

Press Release
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ACLU-PA Sues Montgomery County for Denying Its Lawyers Access to People in the Jail

The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania filed a federal lawsuit today alleging that Montgomery County violated the ACLU-PA’s First Amendment rights by denying ACLU lawyers access to people held in the county jail.
Issue Areas: Due Process, Prisoners' Rights, First Amendment Rights
Podcast
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"We have got to get more people out": Women, Prisons, and COVID-19

In normal times, women who are incarcerated face a unique set of challenges that are different from men's. The COVID-19 pandemic has compounded those challenges.
Podcast
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State of the Union 2020

Court Case
Feb 12, 2025

Freedom of Information Act Filing Re Allegations of Sexual Abuse at Moshannon Valley Processing Center

ACLU-PA and the National Immigration Litigation Alliance filed a Freedom of Information Act seeking the production of records regarding allegations of sexual abuse, assault, and harassment at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Clearfield County.
Court Case
Aug 21, 2023

Radke, et al v. Allegheny County Jail Oversight Board

Court Case
May 20, 2021

ACLU of Pennsylvania v. Montgomery County et al.

The ACLU of PA filed a federal lawsuit against Montgomery County and several administrators at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility alleging that the administrators have denied ACLU-PA attorneys and attorneys working with ACLU-PA the right to visit with people detained at the jail.
Court Case
Apr 20, 2020

Remick et al. v. City of Philadelphia