Background edit
The Civil Rights of Institutionalized Peoples Act was enacted into law in 1980, which allowed the Department of Justice to protect the rights of those individuals who were in the care of state institutions.[1] Such institutions include state and locally operated jails and prisons, juvenile correctional facilities, public nursing homes, mental health facilities and institutions for individuals with intellectual disabilities.[1] The law allows for the Attorney General to intervene on behalf of institutionalized peoples who's rights may have been oppressed. This law was enacted to ensure the safety of those individuals who may feel uncomfortable reporting issues of abuse in these government run institutions.