{"id":46375,"date":"2022-02-15T18:14:10","date_gmt":"2022-02-15T23:14:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.aclu.org\/issues\/civil-liberties-prison"},"modified":"2025-06-17T16:47:32","modified_gmt":"2025-06-17T20:47:32","slug":"civil-liberties-prison","status":"publish","type":"issue","link":"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/issues\/prisoners-rights\/civil-liberties-prison","title":{"rendered":"Civil Liberties in Prison"},"parent":46637,"menu_order":3,"template":"","class_list":["post-46375","issue","type-issue","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":{"featured-image":210816,"intro":"The ACLU works in courts, legislatures, and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and the laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country.","what-you-need-to-know":null,"promo":{"description":"","button":"","url":""},"faq":{"description":"","faq-items":null},"featured-stories":null,"latest-stories":null,"whats-at-stake":{"title":"What's at Stake","description":"The ACLU\u2019s National Prison Project fights to protect the Constitution\u2019s guarantee that individuals who are incarcerated retain basic rights, including the right to free speech, the freedom to practice their religion, and the right to access the courts and counsel.\r\n\r\nIn Turner v. Safley <\/em>(1987), the U.S. Supreme Court made clear that \u201c[p]rison walls do not form a barrier separating inmates from the protections of the Constitution.\u201d Individuals retain certain fundamental rights, even when incarcerated. The Constitution protects these rights for good reason. Incarceration can have a drastic effect on a person. Oftentimes, a prisoner\u2019s connections to their family or religious community may be their only source of hope. Stripped of these connections, a person will not only endure more difficulties during incarceration, but may also lack the community ties necessary to assist them upon release.\r\n\r\nDespite the important role that these rights play, correctional officials frequently attempt to restrict them, whether in the form of policies restricting a person\u2019s ability to communicate with family members, limiting access to religious material, or inhibiting a person\u2019s ability to seek relief for abuse suffered while incarcerated.\r\n\r\nThis is where the ACLU steps in. Prisoners often lack the resources and the opportunity to fight these unconstitutional policies. The ACLU\u2019s National Prison Project works to ensure that prisoners are able to exercise these basic rights."},"actions":"","drupal-id":508,"is_hidden_issue":""},"yoast_head":"\nAmerican Civil Liberties Union<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The ACLU works in courts, legislatures, and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and the laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Civil Liberties in Prison | American Civil Liberties Union\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The ACLU works in courts, legislatures, and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and the laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/issues\/prisoners-rights\/civil-liberties-prison\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"American Civil Liberties Union\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-06-17T20:47:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@aclu\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/issues\/prisoners-rights\/civil-liberties-prison\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/issues\/prisoners-rights\/civil-liberties-prison\",\"name\":\"Civil Liberties in Prison | American Civil Liberties Union\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2022-02-15T23:14:10+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-17T20:47:32+00:00\",\"description\":\"The ACLU works in courts, legislatures, and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and the laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/issues\/prisoners-rights\/civil-liberties-prison\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/\",\"name\":\"American Civil Liberties Union\",\"description\":\"The ACLU dares to create a more perfect union \u2014 beyond one person, party, or side. 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