It has come at great personal cost as their activists languish in the shocking state of prisons even for prisoners on trial.
In 1787, just before the Constitution was drafted, New Yorkers, following the example of a British reformer who had issued a dire report on the state of prisons in England and Wales, formed the Society for the Relief of Distressed Debtors.
The challenge he faces over the state of prisons is more immediate, with jails in England and Wales holding a near-record 85,743 inmates and with increasing levels of suicide, self-harm, attacks on staff and sexual assaults.
The allegations come ahead of the chief inspector of prisons' annual report – due out on Tuesday – which will give a detailed examination of the state of prisons in England and Wales.
The killing of the young father prompted calls for an inquiry into the state of prisons in England and Wales, with his family accusing the jail of neglecting him.
"We're seriously concerned about the state of prisons, not just with the high levels of violence, but the now regular theme of rioting which is spreading," he said.
Sir Stephen Tumim related that when ordered to report on the state of prisons of which he was Her Majesty's Inspector, she marched up and down, handbag on arm, and did all the talking.
The chief inspector of prisons has attacked the state of prisons in England and Wales after dozens of full jails were told to take more inmates.
In July, the Sentencing Project, a research and advocacy group, released a state-by-state study of prison populations that identified where blacks endured the highest rates of incarceration.
