Knows His Gun v. Crossroads Correctional Center

  • Filed: 04/10/2009
  • Court: State of Montana, before the Commissioner of Labor and Industry, Employment Relations Division, Human Rights Bureau
  • Latest Update: Apr 10, 2009
Statue of Liberty

The ACLU brought a human rights complaint in April 2009 against the state of Montana, Crossroads Correctional Center and Corrections Corporation of American on behalf of Native American inmates at the Crossroads Correctional Center in Shelby. These incarcerated indigenous people's rights were violated through en-masse strip searches, being denied the ability to properly celebrate sweat lodge ceremonies and being retaliated against when they complained about the mistreatment. The state of Montana investigated the claims and issued a report in May 2009 confirming almost all of the prisoners’ allegations. The issue has not been fully resolved.

Attorney(s):
Betsy Griffing
Pro Bono Firm:
Ronald Waterman and Julie Johnson (Gough, Shanahan, Johnson & Waterman, Helena)