New evidence shows that a few weeks before a teenager held in solitary confinement at Perryville Prison died in what appears to be an act of suicide, the Arizona Department of Corrections had been specifically warned about her deteriorating mental health and notified that the conditions in which she was being kept likely violated state policy.

“If people are spending all of their time in a cage by themselves, it’s not unusual that they’re going to behave in a way that’s not really desirable,” says Karianne Wolfer, Director of Correctional Practices.

On April 11, 2016, the Prison Law Office and the ACLU National Prison Project filed in federal court in Arizona a motion to enforce the year-old settlement between the Arizona Department of Corrections (ADC) and prisoners in the case of Parsons v. Ryan.  The motion seeks an order requiring ADC to hire more healthcare staff to prevent further injury and death.

As a result of efforts by advocates, including the Prison Law Office, thousands of low income Alameda county families will no longer have to pay juvenile probation and public defender fees.

Prisoners in the San Bernardino County Jail have filed a federal class action lawsuit challenging unconstitutional conditions, including failure to provide basic medical and mental health care, reasonable accommodations for disabilities, and protection from violence by other prisoners