Prisoners' Rights

Incarceration is perhaps the greatest deprivation of liberty that the government can impose on a person. It is the responsibility of the state to ensure that all people housed in prisons are treated humanely, given proper medical treatment, and are supported through rehabilitative and educational programming to ease re-entry into society once the person is released.

two men dressed in orange prison jumpsuits, behind bars

The ACLU of Ohio works to ensure that our state prisons, jails, and detention centers comply with the Constitution, domestic law, and human rights principles. Incarceration is perhaps the greatest deprivation of liberty that the government can impose on a person; but prisoners retain their rights to other basic protections and freedoms – among these are freedom from cruel and unusual punishment, freedom of religion, the right to legal representation, and the right to due process.

It is the responsibility of the state to ensure that all people housed in prisons are treated humanely, given proper medical treatment, and are supported through rehabilitative and educational programming to ease re-entry into society once the person is released.

The Latest

News & Commentary
Grainy Green and Black Photo of prison interior

Ohio’s Problematic Private Prisons: A Primer

Should some people profit off others’ misfortune? At the ACLU of Ohio, we believe the answer is a resounding no. Sadly, we know profit comes into play at many levels of our criminal legal system, but the most notable is within the prison industry itself.
News & Commentary
ICE agents searching people

The Executive Order Loophole: Private Prisons and ICE

With the recent Executive Order, President Joe Biden has publicly declared the ending of private prison contracts with the federal government, in efforts to decrease mass incarceration rates. But, states still use private prisons and the order failed to include people without documentation.
Press Release
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ACLU of Ohio and OJPC Appeal Lower Court’s Decision to Dismiss Lawsuit Challenging ODRC Policy of Illegally Garnishing Prisoners’ Emergency Relief Checks in order to Pay Court Fees

Today the ACLU of Ohio and the OJPC filed an appeal in their lawsuit on behalf of incarcerated individuals whose COVID-19 emergency relief checks were garnished by ODRC.
Issue Areas: Prisoners' Rights
Press Release
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ACLU of Ohio and OJPC Sue Ohio Parole Board for Denying Parole to Individuals Previously Sentenced to Death Whose Sentence Was Commuted to Life with the Possibility of Parole

Issue Areas: Prisoners' Rights
Court Case
Jul 28, 2021

Wernert, et al. v. Ohio Parole Board

In 1978 the US Supreme Court found Ohio's death penalty process unconstitutional. Individuals who had previously been sentenced to death were resentenced, often to life with the possibility of parole. The Ohio Parole Board has a practice of denying these people parole, regardless of circumstance.
Court Case
Jul 22, 2021

Brust v. Ohio Parole Board

The Ohio Parole Board’s policy of denying access to victim statements precludes meaningful consideration because it prevents individuals seeking parole from knowing about, rebutting, or responding to information that is being considered by the Board.
Court Case
May 01, 2021

Woodson v. ODRC

The garnishment of prisoners’ relief checks for debts other than child support, when all other Ohioans’ relief checks are treated are fully immune to non-child support garnishments, violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Ohio Constitution.
Court Case
Jul 23, 2020

State ex rel. Licthenwalter v. Dewine (amicus)