Judicial oversight of prisons and jails is a very important part of the criminal justice system as it protects the rights of prisoners and ensures they are treated in a humane way. Some recent decisions have backed up this statement. A federal court in Massachusetts ruled in 1995 that a group of inmates had their constitutional rights violated because being a fire hazard, infested with insects and other creatures, and lack of toilets (Rights of inmates, 2016). A federal court in the District of Columbia recently ruled that prison officials were liable for abuse and assault of female prisoners and that female inmates were forced to live in inhumane conditions with inferior medical treatment and less programs than their male counterparts
