[Letterhead from the Center for Constitutional Rights]
666 Broadway 7th Floor
New York, NY 10012

November 21, 2011

Mr. Jeremy Pinson
#16267-064
U.S. Penitentiary Max
PO Box 8500
Florence, CO 81226

LEGAL MAIL: PRIVILEGED AND CONFIDENTIAL

Dear Mr. Pinson,

I hope that this finds you well. Thank you very much for reaching out to us; I will also be responding to everyone else who signed your letter.

Your detailed letter about conditions that you are facing at ADX is very troubling. We have been aware of the harsh and excessive conditions in supermax facilities -- both on the state level, and at ADX -- for some time. CCR, its board members, and our allies have been working in different contexts to try to challenge conditions in supermax facilities across the country. While we may be interested in exploring the possibility of bringing a legal challenge to some of the conditions you are facing at ADX at some point in the future, I'm sorry to say that we are not in a position to do so for the foreseeable future.

As you know, we are currently litigating a civil rights lawsuit against the BOP regarding policies and conditions at the Communications Management Units (CMUs); we are also in the process of investigating policies and conditions at Pelican Bay, California's supermax facility where prisoners have been hungerstriking. The unfortunate reality is that our resources are limited, and we cannot commit to any further litigation over the next couple of years. We truly hope that we can turn our attention to the federal supermax at some point in the future.

I am sorry to have to send such disappointing news, particularly given the excessive and outrageous nature of the conditions you are facing. But I wanted to pass on a few resources that may be helpful in the meanwhile.

First, I am enclosing a copy of the Jailhouse Lawyers Handbook (JLH), which is a guide to bringing prisoners' rights civil litigation from inside prison published jointly by CCR and the National Lawyers Guild. This might give you a sense of your legal options and some guidance as to possible claims that you might have. Please let me know if you need any more copies.

I also suggest that you try to reach out to other lawyers who work around these issues. I have two suggestions. First, you could write to the ACLU National Prison Project. As you probably know, their focus is exclusively on prisoners' rights cases and advocacy. Their address is:

ACLU National Prison Project
915 15th Street, NW, 7th Floor
Washington, DC 20005

Another organization you could write to is the Civil Rights Clinic at the University of Denver's law school. The clinic is taught by a lawyer named Laura Rovner. She works with some ADX prisoners and may be able to give you further guidance. Her address is:

Prof. Laura Rovner, Esq.
Civil Rights Clinic
University of Denver Sturm College of Law
2255 East Evans Avenue
Denver, Colorado 80208

It goes without saying that I cannot guarantee that either of these organizations is in a position to help you. They too have limited resources. But they may be able to guide you and give you helpful advice.

I'm sorry that I'm not able to write with better news. I wish you the best of luck, and hope to be in touch in the future.

Sincerely,
[signature]
Alexi Agathocleous
Staff Attorney