Notes and Examples of Basic Rights
An example of a time when a federal court found cruel and unusual punishment was in 1995 when the Massachusets Federal Court found that inmates' constitutional rights were violated when they were held in a 150-year-old prison that was infested with vermin, fire hazards and a lack of toilets.
An example of the inmates' right to be free from sexual harassment taking effect was when a federal court in the District of Columbia found prison officials liable for the systematic sexual harassment, rape, sodomy, assault, and other abuses of female inmates by prison staff members.
As an example of inmates voicing their concerns about prison conditions, a federal court in Iowa recently awarded a prisoner over $7,000 in damages after it was found that he was placed in solitary segregation for one yaer and then transferred to a different facility where his life was in danger just because he complained about prison conditions and filed a lawsuit challenging the conditions of his confinement.
In most cases, an inmate is not entitled to representation by cousel in a disciplinary proceeding.
If the inmate is in risk of immediate and serious physical injury, the three strike rule may be waived.
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