Prisoner's Rights Attorneys

Younger inmates, especially those sentenced to juvenile facilities, are at greater risk for rape, and are often more reluctant to report these assaults to the authorities and it is widely believed that the number of prison rapes on young white males, the most vulnerable population in jails and prisons, is significantly higher. Read the rest of this entry »

A 2008 decision from the Federal District Court of the Easter District of Pennsylvania (Martinez v. Warner) noted the following with respect to strip searches of arrestees... Read the rest of this entry »

A National Geographic documentary explains how convicts extort inmates in a variety of ways. In exchange for protection, inmates must offer cash, goods or sexual services.

It is important to understand that while violent crimes, including rape, murder, and assaults is a common occurrence in jails and prisons, prisoners do have certain rights that allow them to seek civil justice against guards and corrections officers that encourage or instigate or abuse and violence by convicts or inmates. They can also be held responsible for "turning the other way" and allowing violence, or when they commit violent acts against prisoners themselves.

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Elizabeth Vargas of the program "2020" reports on corruption in the Luzerne County, Pennsylvania juvenile criimes system. Nonviolent and first offenders as young as 12 were immediately sentenced to prison and put into child slavery. Privately run juvenile detention centers paid millions of dollars in kickbacks to Luzerne County judges for sending kids to their facilities. Read the rest of this entry »

UNIONTOWN, Pa. — Authorities in southwestern Pennsylvania say a prison inmate who died after an altercation with another inmate died of cardiovascular problems. Fayette County District Attorney Jack Heneks Jr. says no charges have been filed in the death of 52-year-old Clifford Meeks of Republic, but the investigation will continue. Read the rest of this entry »

December 09, 2010. PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The new U.S. attorney in Pittsburgh has created a five-attorney civil rights unit to handle criminal and civil cases involving hate crimes, police misconduct, and other civil rights issues in the 25-county western district of Pennsylvania. “It is hard to believe that in 2010 we are still fighting for equality of all Americans,” U.S. Attorney David Hickton said at a news conference Tuesday.

The unit will also target sexual exploitation of children and human trafficking, and civil rights issues more likely to prompt lawsuits than criminal prosecutions, such as biased lending and housing practices.

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