Prison Litigation

Prisoners’ Rights

Have you or a loved one been mistreated in prison or jail? You should know that even people serving time in a prison or jail after being convicted have certain civil rights—most importantly, the right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment. Detainees held in jail pending trial also have civil rights, including the right not to be punished at all. 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. At Loevy & Loevy, we are committed to helping prisoners and detainees challenge the violations of their constitutional rights through individual cases and class actions.

Common Constitutional Issues in Prison

The Supreme Court has said that the Eighth Amendment, which prohibits cruel and unusual punishment, protects prisoners from being subjected to a serious risk of harm by prison officials who are deliberately indifferent to their safety. The Fourteenth Amendment similarly protects pretrial detainees from being subjected to punishment while they await trial. Common constitutional issues that arise in prisons/jails include:

• Deaths in Custody 
• Denial of medical care
• Excessive force
• Conditions of confinement
• Failure to protect
• Strip searches
• First Amendment

Our Experience

Loevy & Loevy has extensive experience representing men and women in custody in jail or prison. We have filed over 100 cases concerning prisoners’ rights. We have taken on individual clients and represented classes of prisoners numbering in the thousands. We have obtained highly favorable verdicts and settlements for prisoners and/or their loved ones. For more information on our successes, visit our Big Wins page. Loevy & Loevy has offices in Chicago and Denver, but we take cases across the country and have represented prisoners or their loved ones in states all over the country, including Louisiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Alabama, Arkansas, Wisconsin, and more.

Our Commitment

When we take a case, it’s because we believe that a serious constitutional violation has occurred and we are committed to trying to achieve justice for our client. Even though many cases eventually reach settlement, we approach each case with an eye toward getting it into a courtroom. Loevy & Loevy is known for its willingness to take hard cases to trial (and win them), and has a nationally recognized reputation for success in the courtroom. We always work on a contingency basis in prisoners’ rights cases, so you will not be on the hook for any attorney fees unless we win.

Contact Us

If you or your loved one is being denied adequate conditions of confinement while in jail or prison, contact us today for a free consultation. You can call us at (312) 243-5900, toll-free (888) 644-6459, or contact us online.  

You can also write us at:

Loevy & Loevy

Attn: Prisoners’ Rights

311 North Aberdeen St., 3rd Floor

Chicago, Illinois 60607

If you are currently incarcerated, please remember to write “Legal Mail” or “Attorney Mail” on the envelope.

Please keep in mind that all legal claims have deadlines—called statutes of limitations—that require you to file a lawsuit within a certain period of time in order to preserve your legal rights. These deadlines can be quite short (sometimes within six months to a year) and do not stop running even while you are looking for legal representation.

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