Confronting Sentences that Silence: The Americans with Disabilities Act's Effective Communication Mandate for Prisoners and Probationers Who Are Deaf

You must be a Clearinghouse Review subscriber to view this article. Log in or subscribe.

State prisons routinely fail to accommodate the communication needs of deaf inmates as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act. Suffering in silence, deaf inmates do not receive critical medical or substance abuse treatment; nor can they participate meaningfully in prison proceedings. Without legal assistance to ensure their civil rights, prisoners who are deaf will continue to suffer in silence.

By MaryBeth Musumeci From March - April 2006