Free Legal Services for Inmates

I received a request from an inmate asking where they could get free legal services. Most inmates do not have the ability to pay for legal services and sometimes get railroaded because they don’t have anyone to fight for them. Here is a list of organizations, in alphabetical order, that offer free legal services for inmates. Most of them are the state’s ACLU organization, or only operate in that state. At the end are three national organizations serving inmates in all states. I used the Prison Policy Initiative’s list to compile this information.

1. ACLU California

1313 West Eighth St., #200

Los Angeles, CA 90017

http://www.aclusocal.org

(213) 977-5253

(213) 977-9543 (no collect calls please)

2. ACLU Colorado

303 E. 17th Ave., Suite 350

Denver, CO 80203

http://www.aclu-co.org/

(303) 777-5482

3. ACLU Connecticut

765 Asylum Ave

Floor 1

Hartford, CT 06105

http://www.acluct.org/en/requesting-legal-help

(860) 586-8900 Fax

(860) 523-9146 Phone

4. Florida Institutional Legal Services

PO Box 533986

Orlando, FL 32853

http://www.floridalegal.org

(407) 801-4350 phone

5. John Howard Assoc of Illinois 

70 East Lake Street, Suite 410

Chicago, IL 60601

http://www.thejha.org/

(312) 526-3714 Fax

6. ACLU Indiana 

1031 E. Washington St.

Indianapolis, IN 46202

http://www.aclu-in.org/

(317) 635-4059

7. Legal Services for Prisoners 

Attn: Charles Cavenee

PO Box 12438

Overland Park, KS 66282

http://www.legalservicesforprisoners.org

(785) 296-8887 Main

8. Minnesota Disability Law 

430 First Ave N, Ste 300

Minneapolis, MN 55401

http://www.mndlc.org

(800) 292-4150

9. ACLU Montana 

PO Box 1968

Missoula, MT 59806-1968

(406) 443-8590

aclu@aclumontana.org

10. North Carolina Prisoner Legal Services, Inc. 

PO Box 25397

1110 Wake Forest Road

Raleigh, NC 27611

http://www.ncpls.org

ncpls@ncpls.org Email

(919) 856-2223 Fax

(919) 856-2200 Main

11. NJ Office of the Corrections Ombudsman

P0 Box 855

Trenton, NJ 08625

http://www.state.nj.us/correctionsombudsman/

1-555-555-5555 Inmate only toll free number

(609) 633-2596 Main

12. ACLU Nevada 

601 S. Rancho Drive, # B-11

Las Vegas, NV 89106

http://www.aclunv.org

(702) 366-1536

13. Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project 

The Cast Iron Building, Suite 304 South

718 Arch Street

Philadelphia, PA 19106

http://www.pailp.org

smyeh@pailp.org Email

(215) 925-5337 Fax

(570) 523-1104 Lewisburg Office

(215) 925-2966 Main/Philadelphia Office

(412) 434-6004 Pittsburgh Office

14. ACLU Rhode Island 

128 Dorrance Street

Suite 400

Providence, RI 02903

http://www.riaclu.org/

(401) 831-7171

15. ACLU Virginia 

701 E. Franklin St., Suite 1412

Richmond, VA 23219

http://www.acluva.org/

(804) 644-8022

16. Disability Rights Vermont 

141 Main St, Suite 7

Montpelier, VT 05602

http://www.disabilityrightsvt.org

(800) 834-7890 (toll free)

(802) 229-1355 local

17. ACLU Washington 

901 Fifth Avenue, Suite 630

Seattle, WA 98164

https://www.aclu-wa.org

(206) 624-2180

(206) 624-2184

18. National Lawyers Guild (National Resource) 

132 Nassau Street, RM 922

New York, NY 10038

http://jailhouselaw.org/

(Provides a free handbook for prisoners who wish to file a Section 1983 lawsuit in federal court regarding poor conditions in prison and/or abuse by prison staff. It also contains limited information about legal research and the American legal system.)

19. Lewisburg Prison Project (National Resource) 

P.O. Box 128

Lewisburg, PA 17837-0128

http://www.lewisburgprisonproject.org/

(570) 523-1104 phone

20. Columbia Human Rights Law Review, Attn: JLM Order (National Resource) 

435 W. 116th St.

New York, NY 10027

http://blogs2.law.columbia.edu/jlm/

jlm.board.mail@gmail.com

(212) 854-1601

(This organization only sells the Jailhouse Lawyer’s Manual Eleventh Edition (the JLM Eleventh Edition”) explains the legal rights of prisoners, and how to navigate through the justice process to secure those rights. You can download it for free. Cost to mail to inmates is $30.00)