Jailhouse Lawyers

Abstract

Jailhouse lawyers provide an important legal service to other inmates. A jailhouse lawyer is an inmate with legal expertise who files his own legal documents or aids other inmates in the legal process. The US Supreme Court has long held that prison officials must provide the means by which inmates will have “meaningful” access to the courts. The Court has not, however, specifically defined how states are to do so, and have, instead, narrowly tailored its decisions to allow prison administrators discretion in meeting this requirement. The Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act and the Prison Litigation Reform Act independently present significant barriers to inmates who seek to advance legal claims.