With Different Flavor, City Prison Crowding Suit Settles

June 13, 2011 | Amaris Elliott-Engel | The Legal Intelligencer

When Philadelphia’s inmates have sued the city over crowding in city jails, the litigation has resulted in caps on the number of inmates held by correctional authorities and decades of supervision by federal judges.

But what the litigation never seemed to accomplish - at least for very long - were significant, sustainable reductions in the prison population.

The latest litigation over conditions of confinement in the Philadelphia Prison System appears to be breaking with past history. The system is holding 7,955 inmates, down from a population bulge of 9,800 that criminal justice leaders worried would break 10,000. The system is designed for 6,800.

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Mayor's Budget Cuts Should Include Phila. Prison System

December 22, 2008 | Angus Love | The Legal Intelligencer

Major Strasser’s been shot, round up the usual suspects." These words from Capt. Louis Renault in the closing scene of the epic film "Casablanca" sadly reflect criminal justice policies in Philadelphia for too many years.

All too often, quantity has replaced quality in the quest for public safety in our city. The usual suspects in our case are often people of color, the homeless, substance abusers and the seriously mentally ill. Are these the right folks to be targeting?

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The Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project awarded grant from the Impact Fund

February 26, 2008 |   | The Pennsylvania Gazette

The Impact Fund announced that it has awarded a grant of $12,000 to PaILP to assist in the Williams v. Phila class action lawsuit. The case challenges conditions of confinement throughout the Philadelphia Prison System [PPS]. More specifically, it challenges the recent practice of triple celling in cells originally designed for one person and double bucked several years ago. The tripling is achieved by placing a temporary plastic boat/bed on the floor during night time hours.

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Jailhouse Lawyers: Nuisance or Necessity?

September, 1993 | Angus Love, Esq. | The Pennsylvania Lawyer

Jailhouse lawyers are individuals who are usually self-taught, probably well-educated and have decided to utilize their legal talents on behalf of themselves and others seeking legal assistance in the prison environment. They often work in the prison law library and are occasionally paid officially or unofficially for their efforts.

Gary Rock is one of the best jailhouse lawyers in Pennsylvania. While serving a life sentence he has educated himself not only in the area of criminal law while fighting his conviction but also in many other important areas of the law, including due process and civil rights.

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