Abolitionist Law Center

Solitary confinement - this program is aimed at holding prison officials accountable for the illegal and inhumane abuse of solitary confinement, and ultimately abolishing the practice entirely. Our work here is concentrated on litigating civil rights lawsuits for prisoners who have been abused by being held in solitary confinement. We had two cases during 2023.

Environmental & health rights - this program aims to expose the dangerously poor healthcare in the prisons, and to force prison authorities to improve it. It also aims to shutdown prisons that are built in areas that expose prisoners to environmental toxins that negatively impact their health. Our work here is focused on an investigation of a prison built next to a coal ash dump, contesting the sufficiency of an environmental impact statement for a proposed prison in Kentucky, working to get hepatitis c positive prisoners cured, and working to improve health conditions at the allegheny county jail. We had five cases litigated as part of this program.

Release from prison program - this program is aimed at freeing prisoners through the use of post conviction petitions and resentencing. The public has an interest in ensuring that individuals are not held in prison, especially where those individuals have had their rights severely violated by the criminal legal system. We had six cases currently being litigated as part of this program.

Political rights - this program aims to protect and broaden the speech rights of prisoners and the movement to end mass incarceration. No cases were litigated in this program during 2023.

Movement support & educational programs - this program is aimed at supporting the growth of the movement to end mass incarceration by providing educational materials and presentations, and by assisting and defending organizers and organizations that are part of that movement. We have one case currently being litigated as part of this program.

Court watch program - this program is aimed at observing and evaluating the justice for different trends and patterns. It also is used to highlight the problems demographics and overpopulation play in the role of mass incarceration. Reports that are supplied include various data such as bail, probation, stipulations, services, charging decisions and demograpchics.

Fiscal sponsorships programs - sponsoring programs by providing fiduciary and other administrative servics top help them build capacity.