Some of the major cases that have impacted the prison system involve; Block v. Rutherford, which stated that state regulations may prohibit meetings of inmate unions as well as the use of the mail to deliver union information within the prison as well as striping prisoners right to be present during cell searches. Bounds v. Smith, which resulted in the created of law libraries in many prisons. Wolf v. McDonnell, which stated that sanctions cannot be levied against inmates without appropriate due process. Washington v. Harper, which stated that a mentally ill inmate who is danger to self or others may be forcibly treated with psychoactive drugs. Florence v. Burlington County, which stated that officials may strip search those arrested for any offense, including minor ones, before admitting them to jail. Ponte v. Real, which stated that inmates are entitled to certain rights in disciplinary hearings. Porter v. Nussle, which stated that the Prison Litigation Reform Act of 1995 “exhaustion requirement” applies to all inmate suits about prison life, whether they involve general circumstances or particular episodes and whether they allege excessive force or some other wrong. Brown v. Plata, which stated that overcrowded conditions in California’s prisons were so egregious that the state was unable to deliver minimal care to prisoners with serious medical and mental health problems, requiring a forced reduction in prison populations. There are many more covered in the Criminal Justice Today textbook, on pages 478-479, however I found these to be of major importance. I would argue that all of these cases were essential for both the improvement of handling the process of prisons and prison life, as well as setting precedent for future prisoners’ rights as well as the way that prisoners are dealt with in
Some of the major cases that have impacted the prison system involve; Block v. Rutherford, which stated that state regulations may prohibit meetings of inmate unions as well as the use of the mail to deliver union information within the prison as well as striping prisoners right to be present during cell searches. Bounds v. Smith, which resulted in the created of law libraries in many prisons. Wolf v. McDonnell, which stated that sanctions cannot be levied against inmates without appropriate due process. Washington v. Harper, which stated that a mentally ill inmate who is danger to self or others may be forcibly treated with psychoactive drugs. Florence v. Burlington County, which stated that officials may strip search those arrested for any offense, including minor ones, before admitting them to jail. Ponte v. Real, which stated that inmates are entitled to certain rights in disciplinary hearings. Porter v. Nussle, which stated that the Prison Litigation Reform Act of 1995 “exhaustion requirement” applies to all inmate suits about prison life, whether they involve general circumstances or particular episodes and whether they allege excessive force or some other wrong. Brown v. Plata, which stated that overcrowded conditions in California’s prisons were so egregious that the state was unable to deliver minimal care to prisoners with serious medical and mental health problems, requiring a forced reduction in prison populations. There are many more covered in the Criminal Justice Today textbook, on pages 478-479, however I found these to be of major importance. I would argue that all of these cases were essential for both the improvement of handling the process of prisons and prison life, as well as setting precedent for future prisoners’ rights as well as the way that prisoners are dealt with in