Prison and Jail Civil Rights/Conditions Cases: Longitudinal Statistics, 1970-2021

Abstract

These tables relating to prison and jail civil rights litigation in federal court update prior-published versions, using data available as of April 6, 2022.

The Tables show longitudinal statistics about case filings, features, and outcomes, for jail/prison civil rights and conditions cases and for the entire federal civil docket, grouped by case category.
List of tables:
Table A: Incarcerated Population and Prison/Jail Civil Rights Filings, FY1970–FY2021
Table B: Pro Se Litigation in U.S. District Courts by Case Type, Cases Terminated Fiscal Years 1996–2021
Table C: Outcomes in Prisoner Civil Rights Cases in Federal District Court, Fiscal Years 1988–2021
Table D: Outcomes in Federal District Court Cases by Case Type, Fiscal Year 2021
Table E: Prisoner Civil Rights Litigated Victories, FY 2012
Table F: Incidence of Court Orders, Local Jails and State Prisons, 1983–2006, 2019
Table G: Change in Prisoner Civil Rights Filings in U.S. District Court and Filing Rates, by State, Fiscal Years 1995 vs. 2012, 2012 vs. 2019, and 1995 vs. 2019
Table H: Days to Disposition, District Court Cases by Fiscal Year of Filing, 1988–2021

This updated the version posted April 27, 2021 (which remains available at ttps://ssrn.com/abstract=3834658) and Margo Schlanger, Trends in Prisoner Litigation, as the PLRA Enters Adulthood, 5 U.C. IRVINE L. REV. 153 (2015). (Table E is the same as in those prior sources)

Replication code and resulting datasets are posted at http://incarcerationlaw.com/documents/Data-Update-Data-and-Replication-Code/DataUpdate.

Keywords: jail, prison, civil rights, litigation, prisoners' rights

JEL Classification: K14, K41