The US policies on the people behind bars have been subject to various changes. All prisoners have the right to seek protection against discrimination or abuse. Also, if they see that their rights have been violated, they should know the steps they need to take to seek coverage against the same.
The law related to inmate search cook county is evolving, and you should know about the new developments that can protect the prisoners when there is a tiff between public safety and individual rights.
Information Regarding Prisoner’s Right To Privacy
If you look at the information from the past 2 decades, you will see that there has been an unprecedented increase in the number and proportion of people who are now behind bars. Currently, the population is twice the population that existed in 1990. So, whenever a decision has to be passed by the Courts, they find themselves in a juggle to promote public safety while also ensuring that they have to protect the individual rights of the prisoners. In some cases, it is easily achieved, while in others, it gets very difficult.
It is difficult because if you look at the crime levels, you will see that in heinous crimes, the punishment includes giving the death penalty and others like catering to the gun control legislation. Also, difficult circumstances can include the government’s collection of digital metadata.
You will notice that the Court has supported the extension of various individual rights in many cases. Also, in other cases, it has allowed for limits related to individual rights to ensure larger public interest and safety.
Legal Amendments Related To Prison Rights
The US law has introduced various amendments that revolve around the larger public interest needs and cater to inmates’ privacy rights at the same time. Some important amendments are as follows:
| Amendment Number | Meaning |
| Second Amendment | The amendment extends against the protection of the right to bear arms that is guns. |
| Fourth Amendment | The fourth amendment intends protection against individual homes, people, and their belongings from unreasonable searching and seizure. |
| Eighth Amendment | The eighth amendment renders protection to individuals from the government side that is unlawfully enforcing excessive fines and bails on them. Also, the amendment renders protection from inflicting cruel and unusual punishment on people. |
| Rule of Law | The rule of law establishes the supremacy of law and also, the equality of people in front of the law. The government is based on this principle which implies that every citizen is equally and fairly treated. People are not on the whims of those who have the power or the ones that are in charge. Also, it states that no one is above the law and the government also falls under this category. |
Further, if you look at the legal proceedings, many landmark judgments have secured people’s right to protection. But, to what extent they can seek protection against unlawful searches of their personal property is still unclear.
In Hudson Vs. Palmer, the United States Supreme Court had held for the first time that the fourth amendment, as per the law, does not protect prisoners from searches of their personal property by correctional officers. The Supreme Court held that the prisoners do not have any reasonable expectation related to privacy in the jail cells, and the fourth amendment should protect it.
However, many circuits have recognized prisoners’ limited privacy rights in prison cells. It entitles them to seek protection under the amendment. Hence, in the above case law, it was decided to eliminate the possibility that the prisoners could invoke the fourth amendment to protect their property from any search or seizure by the state employees.
Rights Of Prisoners
Under the eighth amendment, prison officials have a legal duty to discharge that refrains them from using excessive force and protects prisoners from assaults by fellow prisoners. Further, the officers may not use malicious or sadistically make use of force that is a result of an intent that causes harm. However, if they are discharging force in good faith, it helps keep proper order.
However, if the prison officials have knowledge about the risk of an assault by other prisoners but fail to respond, it means that they have violated the Eighth Amendment. The same shall apply if the prison conditions or practices create an unreasonable risk of assault. It includes not taking proper measures to ensure safety and others, like not having the right number of people on the unit and not having any cell doors that are locking properly.
What To Do When Rights Are Violated
The prisoners know that even if they have committed a crime and they are facing a jail term for the same, they still have some rights that protect them in the jail premises and their families in their absence. You can seek protection for your rights as they follow the principles of natural justice and the rule of law.
In case of an assault, the officer or fellow prisoner should file for grievance and appeal for the same through all levels of appeal. You should note that there are strict time limits for filing such a grievance, so you should do it as soon as possible. Also, you should be careful of your surroundings. If you think that you are exposed to an element of immediate danger that can lead to an assault, you should update the same to the people around you and, most importantly, to the staff member whom you trust. It can be anyone, like a teacher, a prison inmate, a service person, and mental health worker.
Conclusion
There can be other discrimination issues related to a person’s gender and also based on their religious choices and sentiments. Further, if there are pregnant people or disabled persons in prison, there are rights available. You need to contact the officials if such a forbidden situation arises. But, you should understand that inmate search and privacy is a wide topic, and it is important to keep public interest and private rights together while discharging all the discussed duties.
