When Constitutional Rights Don’t Apply: Understanding the Prison Litigation Reform Act

We’re excited to announce the second class in our Movement Law School for Journalists series! On December 8th, join Southern Center’s Atteeyah Hollie and Inquest’s Luci Harrell for a deep dive into the Prison Litigation Reform Act.

In 1996, Congress passed a relatively obscure piece of legislation called the Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA.) While it may not have made much of a splash with the general public (aside from perhaps affirming the erroneous belief that courts were flooded with frivolous lawsuits from incarcerated people) it has made prisons and jails — and the people who live in them — considerably less safe by making it difficult for incarcerated people to file lawsuits in federal courts.

The impacts of the PLRA are insidious and wide-ranging. This class seeks to equip journalists who cover the courts or prisons and jails with a solid base understanding of the legislation and its many long-lasting negative impacts.

The class is free, and will be held over Zoom. You can sign up by scanning the QR code below, or by following this link.