Cruel, Inhuman, and Degrading Conditions

The ACLU works in courts, legislatures, and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and the laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country.

Prisoners' Rights issue image

What's at Stake

Overcrowding, violence, sexual abuse, and other conditions pose grave risks to prisoner health and safety. Mistreatment of prisoners based on race, sex, gender identity, or disability remains far too common.

Overcrowding, violence, sexual abuse, and other conditions pose grave risks to prisoner health and safety. Mistreatment of prisoners based on race, sex, gender identity, or disability remains far too common.

a hand holding an American flag and a rainbow flag in front of the supreme court building
a crowd of people with fists in the air
Credit: Michelle Frankfurter, Jacquelyn Martin / AP Photos
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