Prisoner Civil Rights in Federal Court

<h2>Prisoner Civil Rights Overview</h2><p>Incarcerated individuals retain certain constitutional rights that can be enforced through federal civil rights litigation. The Eighth Amendment prohibits cruel and unusual punishment, while pretrial detainees are protected by the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause. The Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA) imposes special procedural requirements on prisoner lawsuits.</p><h2>Common Prisoner Claims</h2><ul><li><strong>Conditions of confinement:</strong> Overcrowding, inadequate sanitation, unsafe conditions</li><li><strong>Medical care:</strong> Deliberate indifference to serious medical needs (<em>Estelle v. Gamble</em>)</li><li><strong>Excessive force:</strong> Unnecessary use of force by correctional officers</li><li><strong>Religious exercise:</strong> RLUIPA claims for restrictions on religious practice</li><li><strong>Access to courts:</strong> Interference with legal mail or law library access</li></ul><h2>PLRA Requirements</h2><p>The Prison Litigation Reform Act requires prisoners to exhaust all available administrative remedies before filing suit, limits recovery of attorney's fees, requires physical injury for certain claims, and imposes a "three strikes" rule for filing fees.</p>