If you're hoping to maintain your sense of human dignity and your human rights, a United States prison is not the place where you want to be. Indeed, sadistic abuse and malicious violence are not uncommon in our nation's prison system. Reports and lawsuits have been...
There have been a lot of protests in New York City recently. Maybe you have already participated in some or are thinking about joining the next one. Whether you protest against police brutality, a decision by the President on immigration or something else, you should...
In the violent and difficult world of prisons, corrections officers are sometimes far worse criminals than the people they are charged with keeping in line. This fact became apparent with the conviction of an ex-prison guard from Rikers Island Jail in New York. The...
It's been a busy month for our prisoners' rights practice! The Sivin & Miller team was in The Bronx for two Riker's Island prisoner abuse cases as well as upstate New York to conduct extremely complicated federal court ordered discovery on several cases arising...
American citizens are guaranteed certain rights within the United States Constitution. One of those rights is in the 4th Amendment, which protects citizens against unlawful searches and seizures. Police officers may not always stay on the right side of the law,...
Have you been the victim of a civil rights violation by a New York correction's officer? Correction officers are expected to behave according to a certain mode of professional behavior. If you have a grievance against an officer due to sexual abuse, physical assault...
Every human being deserves medical care when he or she is sick. However, New York residents who are serving time in prison might not always get the medical care they require. Whether it's due to prisoner neglect, negligence or wrongdoing -- if a prisoner can't get...
Just because you're an inmate and serving time does not mean you don't have rights, and it certainly does not mean you can't make a difference in the world. Ex-inmate Martin Sostre is proof of this fact. The prisoner received clemency in 1976 from New York's...
The United States justice system exists with the intention of bringing equality to every human in society. This notion of equality does not disclude the U.S. prison population. Indeed, people in prison are there, serving time for alleged crimes. By serving that time,...
According to a prisoner in California, prison officers ignored his backed up toilet. The toilet flooded raw sewage into his cell and he was forced to live in the same area as the sewage for multiple days before prison officers took action to clean up the mess. The...