Byline: Ben H. Bagdikian; 1972-02-05; The Washington Post; pages A1 & A6
Report: "The Shame of the Prisons"- Ben Bagdikian - Washington Post
"It used to be that the favorite recreational activity of prisoners was playing baseball. Now it's filing lawsuits." says Evelle J. Younger, attorney general of California. Is there a new kind of person behind bars in the 1970s? More interested in politics than athletics? More militant, organized, and rebellious? Younger is right about the growth of lawsuits. There is a swelling tide of civil petitions flowing out of prison cells into courtrooms. These are not the traditional jailhouse appeals on criminal cases, which continue. The new phenomenon is civil petitions suing prison administrators for allegedly violating human and civil rights.
Description:Looks at the then growing number of civil suits against prison administrators, and the conditions allegedly causing them.
Rights: Copyrighted, used with permission.
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