Prisoners’ Legal Services
of Massachusetts

PLS is an organization committed to being anti-racist and whose mission is to challenge the carceral system through litigation, advocacy, client counseling, partnership with impacted individuals and communities, and outreach to policymakers and the public in order to promote the human rights of incarcerated persons and end harmful confinement. The office prioritizes work involving health and mental health care, assaults by staff, extreme conditions of confinement, misuse of segregation and isolation, and racial equity.

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Our Priorities

Conditions of Confinement

Prisoners’ constitutional right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment prohibits correctional facilities from depriving prisoners of “the minimal civilized measures of life’s necessities.” Examples of violations of this right include extreme overcrowding, lack of appropriate sanitation, and unsafe exposure to extreme heat or cold, each of which has safety. health, and mental health implications. PLS continually undertakes advocacy and institutes litigation to address unlawful and inhumane conditions that arise in state and county correctional facilities in Massachusetts.

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Medical & Mental Healthcare

PLS helps prisoners with serious medical needs that are not being met. Our Advocates counsel prisoners, attorneys, and family members about their right to adequate health care and how to seek treatment internally. We also advocate directly with jail and prison health administrators over deficient care, and in certain cases, we represent prisoners in litigation to remedy constitutional violations. Mental health care and treatment is a critical component of our work. PLS advocates for care and litigates both individual and class action matters on behalf of mentally ill prisoners.

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Race Equity

The same racial inequities and the disparate impact that plagues black and brown communities exist within the prison system on a heightened scale because behind the prison walls, there is far less transparency, a dehumanizing culture, and little accountability. REICI is an organization-wide effort to eliminate institutional racism and its impact on black and brown incarcerated individuals in the day-to-day operations of Massachusetts’ prisons and jails.

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Solitary Confinement

At any given moment, over 80,000 people across the country are held in solitary confinement, hundreds of them in Massachusetts. These people are locked in a small, concrete cell, typically with a solid door that faces a wall over 20 hours a day, a kind of torture. These men and women get their three small meals a day through a slot in the cell door, and see their loved ones only through glass, if at all. Some states, such as Maine and Mississippi, are starting to see that the over-use of segregation is a costly mistake, leaving people traumatized and less prepared to re-enter their communities. But in Massachusetts, people can still be held for many years in solitary confinement. PLS’ litigation aims to ensure that no person is subjected to this torment unlawfully.

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Staff-on-Prisoner Assaults

The Prison Brutality project was created to address the widespread problem of correctional staff abusing their authority by assaulting the men and women who they are employed to keep safe. The Project’s goals are two-fold. First, PLS seeks to redress the individual for his or her pain and suffering by getting individual compensation for injuries and for the violation of the basic constitutional right to be free from abuse at the hands of prison officials. Second, we aim to deter future assaults and stem the tide of violence by shedding light on such cruelty and by holding correctional staff accountable for their assaultive behavior. PLS works toward these goals by conducting in-depth investigations into person’s allegations of brutality and by filing as many meritorious lawsuits as our resources allow.

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Services

Individual Advocacy

Helping incarcerated individuals access critical medical care, programming, and relief from harmful conditions through direct legal advocacy and advice.

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Impact Litigation

Challenging systemic abuses in prisons and jails through high-impact litigation to create lasting change for incarcerated people.

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Policy Advocacy

Advocating for policy change that will responsibly decarcerate, reduce harm within the carceral system, promote human rights, interrupt cycles of violence, and support successful re-entry.

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Community Engagement

Partnering with communities and coalitions to advance reforms that center the experiences of those directly impacted by incarceration.

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Systemic Advocacy

Advocating for broad, systemic reforms in prison conditions, healthcare, racial equity, immigrant detention, and more.

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Need Help?

Find self-help resources and information on how to contact us if you need further assistance.

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Get Involved

Pro Bono Events Join Our Team Join Email Lists Action Alerts Donate

Pro Bono

PLS partners with attorneys, firms, and healthcare professionals to expand access to justice for incarcerated people. We offer litigation and non-litigation opportunities, including civil rights cases, medical parole petitions, brutality investigations, medical advocacy, and public records work. Join our Pro Bono Referral Network or contact us to learn more.

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Events

PLS hosts events throughout the year to celebrate and engage our supporters, partners, and community. From gatherings that honor our donors to pro bono trainings in prisoners’ rights litigation, our events connect advocates committed to justice. We also collaborate with community groups to hold public forums on critical issues impacting incarcerated people. Join us at an upcoming event!

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Join Our Team

Join the dedicated team at PLS and help advance justice for incarcerated people in Massachusetts. We offer opportunities for attorneys, paralegals, interns, and administrative staff who are passionate about civil rights and systemic change. Check out our current openings and learn how you can get involved.

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Join Email Lists

Subscribe to our mailing lists to receive important updates, announcements, and information about upcoming events. Stay informed with relevant news delivered directly to your inbox.

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Action Alerts

Make your voice heard by joining PLS and our partners in contacting legislators and other officials to advocate for priority policies that reduce harm within the jail and prison system, promote rehabilitation and public safety, and lower recidivism.

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Donate

For over 50 years, PLS has been a vital source of legal support for incarcerated individuals in Massachusetts, advocating tirelessly to protect their rights and dignity. This work is only possible because of your generous support. Your gift today empowers us to continue this critical fight for justice.

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Media & Public Outreach

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ON THE HOMICIDE RULING IN THE DEATH OF SHACOBY KENNY AND THE URGENT NEED FOR INDEPENDENT CORRECTIONAL OVERSIGHTJuly 24, 2026

This week, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled that the death of Shacoby Kenny was a homicide, concluding that he suffered cardiac arrest and catastrophic brain injury during a physical restraint by correction...

After a Springfield man died in a Boston jail, his family waits for justiceMay 3, 2026

“Death Under Watch” is an ongoing series by MassLive and The Republican investigating deaths in Massachusetts prisons and jails. Access the article here. Before he died, Shacoby Kenny was surrounded by a group of officers at...

Massachusetts could reform medical parole law amid system criticismsApril 15, 2026

“Death Under Watch” is an ongoing series by MassLive and The Springfield Republican investigating deaths in Massachusetts prisons and jails. Access the article here. Massachusetts prisons and jails have seen more than 140 deaths since...

Prisoners’ Legal Services of Massachusetts

Our Priorities