Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act

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The Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act is a U.S. federal law that authorizes the Justice Department to investigate and address systemic civil rights violations in state or local institutions such as prisons, jails, and mental health facilities.


Statements (48)
Predicate Object
instanceOf United States federal statute
civil rights law
administeredBy Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
appliesTo developmental disability facilities
jails
juvenile detention facilities
local government institutions
mental health facilities
nursing homes operated by state or local governments
other institutions of confinement operated by state or local governments
prisons
state institutions
authorizes civil actions by the Attorney General
investigations of systemic civil rights violations
country United States
doesNotApplyTo federal institutions
doesNotProvide monetary damages to individual victims
enactedBy United States Congress
focus conditions of confinement
patterns or practices of unconstitutional conduct
systemic violations rather than individual cases
investigationMethod document and record reviews
interviews with staff and residents
on-site inspections of facilities
legalBasis Eighth Amendment protections against cruel and unusual punishment
Fourteenth Amendment Due Process Clause
Fourteenth Amendment Equal Protection Clause
legalRemedy injunctive relief
outcome court-enforceable consent decrees
federal court litigation
settlement agreements
primaryEnforcer Special Litigation Section of the Civil Rights Division
protects incarcerated persons in state or local custody
persons with developmental disabilities in public institutions
persons with mental illness in public institutions
residents of publicly operated nursing homes
purpose to address patterns or practices of civil rights violations
to protect the civil rights of persons in state or local institutions
relatedTo United States civil rights enforcement framework
requires a reasonable time to attempt to resolve violations before litigation
notice to the state or local government before filing suit
scope systemic conditions and practices rather than isolated incidents
shortName CRIPA
signedBy Jimmy Carter
subjectOf United States Department of Justice CRIPA investigations
targets state or local governments and officials responsible for institutions
typeOfRelief prospective relief

Referenced by (3)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
Civil Rights Division
Special Litigation Section
legalAuthority
Public Law 106-274 ("Title II – Institutionalized Persons")
hasTitle

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