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The Significance of Prison Conditions Cases: Budgets and Regions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 July 2024

Malcolm M. Feeley
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Abstract

This paper examines William Taggart's article on the judicial power of the purse as it affects American prisons and jails. It argues that the central concerns in this area have involved issues of judicial propriety and judicial capacity rather than, as Taggart argues, whether judicially mandated expenditures disrupt normal budget processes. It then takes issue with Taggart's conclusions that the courts have had little impact on prisons and jails. Using his evidence, this paper argues that the courts have had a significant effect in transforming prisons and jails in at least one region of the country, the South.

Type
Research Article
Information
Law & Society Review , Volume 23 , Issue 2 , 1989 , pp. 273 - 282
Copyright
Copyright © 1989 The Law and Society Association.

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References

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Cases Cited

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