The prisoners write in carefully lettered script or on old electric typewriters.
There are sometimes grammatical errors or misspellings.
But the language is direct.
They describe facing Stage 4 cancer after their symptoms went undiagnosed for years.
The denial of orthotic shoes to treat a diabetic condition that led to a severe wound and amputation.
Nineteen years locked in solitary confinement.
Some describe beatings and sexual assaults by fellow prisoners that they say corrections officers failed to prevent.
Others say they were assaulted by officers themselves.
Over the years it came to mean any treatment that “shocked the conscience.”
But prisoners and civil-rights attorneys have said that it is now nearly impossible to win such claims in court.
We reviewed hundreds of pages oftraining materials, medical records, incident reports, and surveillance footage.
In our analysis, plaintiffs prevailed in only 11 cases, including two class actions less than 1%.
“It is essentially unavailable.”
After that, their claims faced exacting Supreme Court standards.
“You shouldn’t have to go looking for someone who was thinking bad thoughts.”
Here’s what it takes.
But such outcomes are rare.
The DOJ has secured consent decrees in just four prison cases over the past decade.
There were 21 claims of sexual assault by prison staff.
In the outside world, most civil suits settle about 73%, one study found.
One North Carolina prisoner who said guards beat him while he was in restraints settled for $250.
For example, hundreds ofprivate prison health providersor their employees were named as defendants in BI’s sample.
Of these cases, 14% settled and plaintiffs prevailed in less than 1%.
Several issued fiery dissents.
“The Majority Opinion condones this behavior and ensures it will occur again.”
Data analysis and visualization were supported by theFund for Investigative Journalism.
