Prison Abuse Lawyer Minneapolis, MN

Currently, there are over 2.2 million inmates in American prisons. Even though these individuals have been convicted of crimes, the United States Constitution nevertheless guarantees them the right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment. Prisoners are among some of our nation’s most vulnerable. Too often, men and women in custody have their rights violated by prison staff, or private corporations operating in jails and prisons.

Corrections staff subject prisoners to cruel and unusual punishment and violate their civil rights when they do any of the following:

• Engage in acts of physical abuse and excessive force.
• Refuse to provide prisoners with humane conditions of confinement such as adequate food, clothing, shelter, sanitation, medical care.
• Refuse to protect prisoners from violent attacks by other inmates.
• Fail to prevent prisoners them from committing suicide.
• Perform strip searches on prisoners with no legitimate purpose other than to harass or humiliate.

The Supreme Court has held that each of these examples can amount to a violation of an inmate’s Eight or Fourteenth Amendment rights. If you or a loved one believe that your rights have been violated in this manner, please contact the Magna Law Firm for a free case evaluation. Our law firm works on a contingency fee basis on prison abuse cases which means we receive no attorney fees unless we win your case.

Prisoner Religious Rights Lawyer Minneapolis, MN

Even when confined, prisoners retain many of their rights under the First Amendment. Prison officials can only restrict a prisoner’s rights if the restrictions relates to a legitimate security interest. Congress also has made efforts to provide prisoners with additional protections for their religious freedom. In a law commonly known as RLUIPA (Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act), Congress has stated that prison officials cannot “substantially burden” a person’s exercise of religion unless they can show that they have a compelling interest, and that there are no less restrictive ways to achieve that purpose. Stated another way, if prison officials prohibit a prisoner from practicing his or her religion, they must prove that they have a very good reason to do so, and that their restriction is the only way to achieve their goal.

If you believe that your rights have been violated as an inmate, please contact the Magna Law Firm at 763-438-3032 for a free case evaluation. Our law firm works on a contingency fee basis for these types of cases which means we receive no attorney fees unless we win your case.