Roderick MacArthur Justice Center

TREATMENT OF PRISONERS

If, as Dostoevsky wrote, the degree of civilization in a society can be judged by entering its prisons, then America is a primitive society. Our prisons are harsh, secretive, and lacking in rehabilitative efforts that might enable prisoners to rejoin society as law-abiding citizens. Because the courts have traditionally been a forum where questions can be raised about prison practices, the Roderick MacArthur Justice Center (the Justice Center) has brought several lawsuits that raise important issues. Besides the cases described here, see Supermax prisons.