NCJ Number
128230
Date Published
1990
Length
41 pages
Annotation
This report deals with how legal services are provided to the inmates in the Utah State Prison. Four main issues were investigated: level of help inmates receive from the contract attorneys, problems with the services provided, contract problems and expectations, and other options which are available but not necessarily better. The report concludes with the agency's response to the report.
Abstract
The United States Supreme Court has mandated that prisons provide inmates adequate legal services. This has been interpreted to mean that prisons must provide inmates with a law library, the services of a contract attorney, or both. While some improvements are needed, the audit of inmate legal services at the Utah State Prison shows that inmates are receiving the legal assistance required by law. The inmates are receiving help from the contract attorneys in both preparing complaints to file in court and other civil matters and in assisting with domestic issues. However, there are instances in which inmates were not given the proper legal assistance. Several examples are given to support this claim. The report gives several steps or procedures by which to improve the contract monitoring, the inmates' expectations of the contract services, and the level of legal assistance provided. The report concludes with the Utah Department of Corrections' response to the findings in the report. 2 figures