Alvin Bronstein facts for kids
Alvin J. Bronstein (June 8, 1928 – October 24, 2015) was an American lawyer. He was known for starting and leading the National Prison Project, which is part of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Bronstein spent his career fighting for the rights of people in prison. He argued many important cases in different courts, including the highest court in the U.S., the Supreme Court. He also advised government groups that run prisons and wrote books about human rights and prisons.
Early Life and Education
Alvin Bronstein was born in Brooklyn, New York. His family came to the United States from Ukraine and Poland to escape difficult times. His parents, Louis and Lillian Bronstein, both worked in sales. Alvin went to Erasmus Hall High School and then the City College of New York. He later earned his law degree from New York Law School.
Career and Fighting for Rights
Bronstein started his career in the American South during the Civil Rights Movement (1960s). From 1964 to 1968, he was the main lawyer for the Lawyers’ Constitutional Defense Committee in Mississippi. During this time, he worked on important civil rights cases in Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana. He also helped major civil rights groups in the South.
Later, from 1969 to 1971, he was a special guest at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. In 2009, he was a guest expert at Pace Law School.
From 1972 to 1995, Bronstein led the National Prison Project. This group works to protect the rights of people in prison. During his time there, he argued three cases in the United States Supreme Court. These cases included Hudson v. McMillan (1992), Block v. Rutherford (1984) ([1]), and Montanye v. Haynes (1976) ([2]).
After leaving the National Prison Project, he continued to advise the ACLU. He also served on the board of Penal Reform International, a group in London that works to improve prisons. He was also a member of the Assembly of Delegates for the World Organization Against Torture in Geneva.
Alvin Bronstein passed away on October 24, 2015, in Centreville, Maryland.
Awards and Recognition
Alvin J. Bronstein received many awards for his work:
- In 1989, he received a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, which is a special award given to talented people.
- He was named one of the one hundred most influential lawyers in America by the National Law Journal in 1985, 1988, 1991, and 1994.
- He received the Frederick Douglass award from the Southern Center for Human Rights.
- He also received awards from these organizations:
- National Council on Crime and Delinquency
- The Fortune Society ([3])
- Offender Aid and Restoration
- University of Maine Law School
- Pennsylvania Prison Society
- The Prison Reform Trust (London, England)
Works
Alvin J. Bronstein wrote or helped write several books about prisoners' rights:
- The Rights of prisoners: the basic ACLU guide to prisoners' rights, with David Rudovsky and Edward I. Koren, Southern Illinois University Press, 1988, ISBN: 978-0-8093-1452-2
- Prisoners' self-help litigation manual, with James L. Potts, Lexington Books, 1976, ISBN: 978-0-669-01640-6
- Prisoners' rights, 1979, Volume 2, with Philip J. Hirschkop, Practising Law Institute, 1979
- Representing prisoners, Practising Law Institute, 1981
