Wrongful Death in Jails and Prisons

Civil Rights Behind Bars

Has your loved one died in prison or jail, and you suspect that they died because they were mistreated?

You’re not alone. Far too often, prisoners whose rights were violated in prison or jail lose their lives as a result. And prison/jail officials frequently refuse to give families information about their loved one who has died in custody, making it even more difficult to get answers.

Even if correctional staff did not directly cause your loved one’s death, they may still be liable to failing to protect your loved one from harm by themselves or someone else. The Supreme Court has recognized that in jails and prisons, prison officials have a duty to protect prisoners from violence at the hands of other prisoners. If a correctional officer, nurse, or doctor knew that your loved one was at risk of being harmed by another and failed to act, he or she could be liable.

Cases involving deaths in custody tend to be difficult to win. But Loevy + Loevy has extensive experience in cases involving deaths in custody. We have litigated cases involving suicide, deaths caused by other prisoners, deaths caused by prison or jail staff, deaths caused by denials of medical care, and more. We have obtained million and multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements on behalf of family members whose loved ones have died in jail or prison.

Our success is based in large part on our tireless efforts to pursue justice on behalf of our clients and provide them the best outcome possible. We are intimately familiar with the ways that prisons and jails react to deaths in custody, including efforts by some to conceal their wrongdoing. We use this knowledge, along with our expertise in litigating prisoners’ rights, to help defeat the challenges that prisoners’ families face in trying to uncover the truth and obtain justice.

Our Experience

Loevy + Loevy has extensive experience representing men and women in custody in jail or prison. We have filed over 100 cases concerning prisoners’ rights. We have taken on individual clients and represented classes of prisoners numbering in the thousands. We have obtained highly favorable verdicts and settlements for prisoners and/or their loved ones. For more information on our successes, visit our Big Wins page.

Loevy + Loevy has represented prisoners or their loved ones in states all over the country, including Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Wisconsin, and more.

Our Commitment

When we take a case, it’s because we believe that a serious constitutional violation has occurred and we are committed to trying to achieve justice for our client. Even though many cases eventually reach settlement, we approach each case with an eye toward getting it into a courtroom. Loevy + Loevy is known for its willingness to take hard cases to trial (and win them), and has a nationally recognized reputation for success in the courtroom.

We always work on a contingency basis in prisoners’ rights cases, so you will not be on the hook for any attorney fees unless we win.

Many prisoners’ rights cases require medical or correctional experts to give opinions about the standard of care in the correctional setting. These experts and other costs associated with civil litigation can cost thousands or tens of thousands of dollars. Loevy + Loevy agrees to front the costs for our clients so that they can vindicate their constitutional rights even if they cannot afford to pay.

Contact Us

If you or your loved one is being denied adequate conditions of confinement while in jail or prison, contact us today for a free consultation. You can call us at (312) 243-5900, toll-free (888) 644-6459, or contact us online.

You can also write us at:
Loevy + Loevy
Attn: Prisoners’ Rights
311 North Aberdeen St., 3rd Floor
Chicago, Illinois 60607

If you are currently incarcerated, please remember to write “Legal Mail” or “Attorney Mail” on the envelope.

Please keep in mind that all legal claims have deadlines—called statutes of limitations—that require you to file a lawsuit within a certain period of time in order to preserve your legal rights. These deadlines can be quite short (sometimes within six months to a year) and do not stop running even while you are looking for legal representation.

Big Wins

Scroll to Top

If you or your property were impacted by the demolition of the smokestack at the former Crawford Coal Plant in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood in April 2020, you may be entitled to compensation from a class action settlement. You can learn more about the settlement and file a claim at www.littlevillagesmokestack.com. If you have questions, you may also contact the attorneys working on the settlement by calling (800) 244-0942.