Primer on Jail and Prison Inmate Rights, Part 4

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Primer on Jail and Prison Inmate Rights, Part 4

jail prison inmate rights

In previous entries to this multi-part blog series, we’ve gone over many of the rights afforded to all inmates of jails or prisons. While being incarcerated certainly does remove certain rights and privileges, there are many that cannot be removed under any circumstances regardless of the charge or crime committed.

At Beehive Bail Bonds, we’re happy to offer not only high-quality 24/7 bail bond services, but also assistance with several other inmate areas, from defense attorneys to help with inmate rights. In today’s final entry in our series, we’ll dig into several more rights areas all inmates must see maintained, plus one specific area we wanted to highlight that isn’t currently a guaranteed right, but is being fought for by groups like the ACLU and could be a big topic of conversation in upcoming years.

Right to Organize

Despite the fact that inmates will spend the bulk of their time in individual cells, they also have time outside these areas and retain the right to organize within the prison. This refers not only to physical organization, but also thematic organization in the pursuit of certain goals.

For instance, groups of prisoners may organize together to demand changes from the prison in areas like living conditions, healthcare or inmate rights. Just like with areas like freedom of speech, inmates have the right to this sort of organization without any fear of reprisal or punishment from staff, even if the organization is meant to demand accountability from said staff.

Right of Notification of Disciplinary Action

Upon entering any kind of jail or prison facility, inmates also have the right to know what type of conduct will lead to disciplinary action. They should be given access to all rules and regulations present in the facility, usually in a handbook or some similar kind of document. There have been landmark inmate rights cases throughout history that have been decided based on inmates not being properly notified of possible disciplinary actions in advance.

Note on Solitary Confinement

We wanted to note one area that’s not currently an inmate right, but that many, including ACLU advocates, believe should be: Limits or restrictions altogether on solitary confinement. The US has dramatically increased its use of solitary confinement in the last few decades, including prisons that hold entire populations in complete isolation.

Simply put, there are many who feel this is cruel, inhumane and degrading. There’s a large movement underway to limit the use of solitary confinement, or even to eliminate it altogether in certain states or counties.

For more on inmate rights within jails and prisons, or to learn about any of our bail bond services, defense attorney recommendations or other programs, speak to the staff at Beehive Bail Bonds today.