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tag: Law libraries

Blog Post
May 29, 2025

Access to Legal Information in Prisons

New Report

America’s prisons and jails are information deserts. Restrictions—and in some cases, outright bans—on internet access, combined with limited library services and widespread censorship of both print and digital materials, severely restrict incarcerated individuals’ connection to the outside world. Legal information is no exception. Although access to legal information is a constitutionally mandated right, incarcerated people face significant—and often insurmountable—barriers to exercising that right–from limited access to legal materials and guidance on conducting legal research, to complex administrative procedures required to…
Research Report
May 29, 2025

Limited by Design

The Framework of Legal Access in Prison

In this project, we examine the national landscape of access to legal information in prisons, with a particular focus on how law librarians facilitate and mediate that access. Our report aims to shed light on this key group of actors: documenting how law librarians work to support meaningful access to the courts behind bars, how services vary across states, and what barriers limit their ability to assist incarcerated patrons.
Blog Post
August 2, 2024

The Role of the Law Library in Serving Incarcerated Individuals

Announcing a New IMLS-Funded Project

Access to legal information is both a legal right and crucial need for people who are incarcerated, yet little comprehensive data exists regarding how that information is provided or about the quality or accessibility of services available to individuals in prison. While anecdotal evidence suggests that law librarians are playing a key role in bridging this service gap, there is a lack of information about best practices and models, as well as about the state of the profession’s capacity to…