NCJ Number
100787
Date Published
1982
Length
67 pages
Annotation
This handbook for correctional officers reviews case law, the underlying rationale of court rulings, and future trends in prisoners' rights.
Abstract
Following a discussion of the role of the court and the emergence of correctional accountability, the legal liability of corrections staff for neglect and misconduct is reviewed. Types of inmate lawsuits then are considered as they relate to the cruel and unusual punishment, due process, and equal protection clauses of the U.S. Constitution. Litigation relating to specific inmate rights is presented in the areas of first amendment rights, access to courts and legal counsel, medical treatment and health, correspondence and visitation, inmate privacy and protection, rehabilitation and work programs, inmate classification and transfer, discipline and punishment, prison conditions, and use of force. The cases reviewed fall into two major categories: those involving a challenge to rules and policies established by correctional institutions, the courts, or legislatures; and those attacking the line officer's implementation or failure to implement State law or agency rules and policies. 128 footnotes.