Support Legal Rights for Incarcerated Americans

Juneteenth is a celebration of emancipation and a call to action. While it commemorates the abolishment of enslavement, Juneteenth also forces us to confront its ongoing legacies and our nation’s incomplete path to freedom. Specifically, the mass incarceration of Black Americans and inhumane conditions in prisons and jails reflect how the foundations of enslavement persist in modern carceral systems.

Access to legal information is a crucial tool, not to mention a legal right, for people who are incarcerated. Still, many face insurmountable barriers to this information in a helpful and accessible format. At the Columbia Human Rights Law Review, we have published and continually updated the Jailhouse Lawyer’s Manual (JLM) since 1978 to inform incarcerated people, many of whom have no access to legal assistance, how to best enforce their rights. The JLM is the most substantial legal handbook for incarcerated people in the United States. It contains over forty chapters covering subjects such as how to bring a § 1983 action, the right to be free from assault in prison, and special issues for incarcerated women, along with supplements covering topics for those in specific states and those navigating the immigration system.

Demand for the JLM far exceeds our current funding capacity to provide a copy to every person who needs it or would benefit from it. Today, 1,929 incarcerated people are waiting for a copy of the Manual. This Juneteenth, help us confront the enduring legacies of enslavement by putting legal knowledge directly into the hands of those impacted by mass incarceration. Donate a Manual today!