Hutto v. Finney

Prisoners' rights litigation grew out of the Fourteenth Amendment, which applied the Eighth Amendment ban on cruel and unusual punishment to the state level, empowering the accused to challenge their sentences and to seek more humane treatment in prison through lawsuits. Prison riots in the 1950s drew attention to the living conditions and the disciplinary measures used in penitentiaries. The U.S. Supreme Court began reviewing state prison policies and activities during the 1950s, which sparked concern for the well-being of prisoners throughout the country. Prisoner lawsuits against the conditions and practices of the Arkansas correctional system began around 1969.

In 1970, Holt v. Sarver ushered in the era of legal battles between Arkansas and its prisoners. As result, the courts became aware of the treatment of prisoners in the Arkansas penal system as well as aware of the indifference to the problems by medical staff. This case helped eliminate the torturing of prisoners and the use of prisoners as guards. Here the courts, for the first time, found a whole prison system faulty and in violation of human rights granted by the Constitution. Judge Henley, who heard the case, characterized the Arkansas prison system as a "dark and evil world completely alien to the free world." Holt v. Sarver successfully cleared the way for further litigation by prisoners not only in Arkansas, but also around the country.