https://www.overlawyered.com/2006/05/28m-award-for-prisoner-who-tried-to-kill-himself/ Chronicling the high cost of our legal system Wed, 02 Jul 2008 00:39:32 +0000 hourly 1 https://www.overlawyered.com/2006/05/28m-award-for-prisoner-who-tried-to-kill-himself/comment-page-1/#comment-3024 Wed, 24 May 2006 12:45:50 +0000 http://overlawyered.com/wpblog/?p=3483#comment-3024 As a purely conceptual matter, there ought not be a logical obstacle to prisoners maintaining civil suits, because it’s not part of their punishment to bear the burden of something the common law says they shouldn’t. Having said that, though, the practical reality is that prisons are sitting ducks for men who, as noted, have plenty of time on their hands and every incentive to file frivolous suits. An act of the legislature could and should evaporate the business quite easily. So long as there is basic medical care, there is no ‘human rights’ issue. And if part of the animus is that these men are just bad and should forfeit the right to sue the prison, even for something colorably legitimate, that’s fine by me. I think it’s time to take a look at other such possible forfeitures, such as, in the U.S., the right of illegal aliens to sue.

]]>