Section Newsletters

Articles on Prisons

Being locked up does not mean being locked out from medical care for serious medical needs which ARE protected by the eighth amendment right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment By Glenn R. Gaffney & Jolianne S. Walters Human and Civil Rights, December 2016 While cruel and unusual punishment can take many forms, the deliberate indifference to an inmate’s serious medical condition presents one of the more egregious and often-encountered violations of an inmate’s Eighth Amendment rights.
An introduction to Section 1983 claims in prisoner litigation By Stanley N. Wasser Federal Civil Practice, December 2016 This article is intended to provide a basic primer regarding Section 1983 and the issues the practitioner will need to learn about and address in handling a prisoner litigation case.
Inevitable horrors: Sexual assault in prison By Cierra Simpson Human and Civil Rights, March 2016 The author, a former correctional officer and current law student, shares her insights regarding solitary confinement.
Prisoner litigation in Illinois: A fine balance—Can the courts respect a prisoner’s right to sue while maintaining judicial efficiency? By Sabena Auyeung Bench and Bar, October 2015 Though Illinois has enacted the Frivolous Lawsuits Filed by Prisoners Act of 2008 to safeguard the court system against frivolous filings by inmates, its application and its effect remains undocumented, and one cannot determine with certainty that the Act has not prevented inmates from exercising their right to file a meritorious claim with the court system.
Grace behind the gates By Julie A. Neubauer Women and the Law, September 2011 Dwight Correctional Center may be beautiful, but for the women incarcerated there it's still a prison.
Restorative justice now! By Hon. Sheila M. Murphy Human and Civil Rights, April 2011 A call for restorative justice in Illinois.
Pregnant inmates suffer human rights violations By Cynthia West Human and Civil Rights, September 2009 Pregnant women in prison need better access standard health care, reasonable bodily movement and freedom from shackles and restraints during transport to the hospital, labor and delivery.
Guantánamo in the Supreme Court … Again By Marc Falkoff Human and Civil Rights, April 2008 Boumediene v. Bush is the latest of the Guantánamo detainee cases to make it to our nation’s highest court, and it will be the third time that the Justices take a metaphorical tour of Guantánamo in order to sort out some fundamental issues concerning our country’s dedication to the rule of law in the age of terror. 

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