By Kory McClary

For 53 years, the Inmate Legal Association (ILA) has been fighting for justice from behind the walls of New Jersey State Prison.

The ILA is a one-of-a-kind, incarcerated-person-run nonprofit organization composed of jailhouse lawyers dedicated to helping the prison population navigate criminal, civil and administrative legal matters.

Founded in 1973 and incorporated in 1974, the organization was established out of necessity to combat the legal inequities incarcerated men faced both inside the prison and in their battles against the State of New Jersey.

According to the ILA’s bylaws, the organization’s purpose is to provide free legal assistance to prisoners, offer instruction, disseminate legal knowledge and fulfill other purposes specified in its certificate of incorporation.

The ILA operates under an executive board consisting of Executive Director Al’Quan White, Director Alonzo Hill, and Allan Mattocks, who serves as both secretary and treasurer.

The organization is divided into five divisions: public relations, federal civil, state civil, criminal actions and administrative actions.

For more than five decades, the ILA has stood on business.

I recently had the opportunity to celebrate that legacy with its members during the organization’s 53rd anniversary banquet, held in the North Compound Visiting Hall at New Jersey State Prison.

During his opening remarks, Executive Director Al’Quan White explained that the anniversary was an opportunity to honor the men who created the organization out of necessity.

“The mission for the coming year is to continue to push a path forward to end mass incarceration in New Jersey,” White said. “Forward is the path.”

Following White’s remarks, members voted to select several individuals for associate and charter membership. Certificates were also awarded to members who completed educational courses and those who secured the most donations, both monetary and nonmonetary.

After the ceremony, food was served, and I had an opportunity to interview several members about the organization’s history, accomplishments and ongoing challenges.

A Legacy of Legal Resistance

Bobby Brown, who has been a member of the ILA for more than 25 years, believes the organization’s longevity comes from its ability to turn legal knowledge into meaningful action.

According to Brown, the ILA has effectively applied its knowledge in criminal, civil and administrative law to challenge injustices within the prison system.

He considers the organization’s lawsuit against the superintendent of Trenton State Prison, now known as New Jersey State Prison, one of its greatest accomplishments.

In Valentine v. Beyer, filed in 1985, the ILA sought declaratory and injunctive relief to prevent prison officials from arbitrarily depriving incarcerated individuals of rights guaranteed under the United States Constitution.

At the center of the dispute were restrictions imposed by the prison administration that limited the ILA’s ability to communicate with incarcerated people seeking legal assistance.

The court ruled in the ILA’s favor.

“The lawsuit has given the ILA long standing and enables them to litigate against the administration, despite the administration’s continuous efforts to shut the ILA down,” Brown said.

For James Martin, who joined the ILA in 1997, the organization’s future depends on educating the next generation of incarcerated men.

He hopes the ILA continues to grow while passing its legal knowledge to younger men entering the prison system.

“It’s important because most people know nothing about the law,” Martin said. “It’s imperative for the ILA to teach them.”

The Challenges of Fighting for Justice

Despite its accomplishments, the ILA continues to face significant obstacles.

Juan Turner, the organization’s civil division director, believes one of its greatest challenges is a shortage of experienced litigators.

Turner describes New Jersey State Prison as a functioning constitutional violation and argues that more incarcerated men need to become involved in challenging the conditions they face.

“With more litigators the fight will be stronger,” Turner said. “We need collectivity.”

Funding is another obstacle.

Allan Mattocks, the ILA’s executive secretary and treasurer, says securing grants and donations remains one of the organization’s biggest challenges.

“The more funding we have the more we’ll be able to assist,” Mattocks said.

For Director Alonzo Hill, some of the most pressing legal inequities involve incarcerated people’s limited access to the courts and legal resources.

Hill points to the inability of incarcerated individuals to electronically file state and federal appeals as a significant disadvantage.

Without access to electronic filing, incarcerated litigants must rely on the United States Postal Service, a process that can be costly and create delays.

“Using the United States Postal Service, a person’s mail is not guaranteed to arrive on time,” Hill said. “Then it’s on us to prove that we were timely.”

Hill also criticized what he describes as the prison administration’s continued efforts to restrict access to the law library and other legal resources.

“They create policies to limit legal access,” Hill said, pointing to restrictions involving digital discovery as another obstacle.

These limitations can make an already difficult legal process even more challenging for incarcerated men attempting to defend their rights.

The Fight Continues

Over the years, the ILA has helped incarcerated men confront these legal inequities through grievances, dialogue with prison officials and litigation.

Sometimes those efforts produce meaningful victories. Other times, the challenges persist.

But for the men of the ILA, the fight for justice does not end with a courtroom defeat, an unanswered grievance or another restriction imposed by prison administrators.

The organization was born out of necessity, built on legal knowledge and sustained by incarcerated men willing to fight for the rights of others.

Fifty-three years later, that mission remains unchanged.

And as White reminded those gathered at the anniversary banquet, “Forward is the path.”

— Should people inside have their own lawyers fighting for them like this? Tell me what you think in the comments. Like and subscribe for more reporting from inside.