Final answer:
The Prison Litigation Reform Act was initially passed through Congress with the intent of preventing the wave of frivolous lawsuits that had been filed by inmates in federal court. Option A
Step-by-step explanation:
The legislation passed by Congress to curb the tide of frivolous lawsuits filed by inmates was the Prison Litigation Reform Act. The intent behind this law was to put in place measures that would decrease the number of non-meritorious cases making their way into the federal courts, which not only strained resources but often involved complaints about trivial matters.
The Act enforced stricter conditions on the ability of prisoners to file federal lawsuits and required them to exhaust internal prison grievance procedures before going to federal court. It also made it more difficult for inmates to obtain a court-appointed attorney and introduced filing fees for prison inmates seeking to file a lawsuit in federal court, although these fees may be waived if the inmate is indigent.
The introduction of the Prison Litigation Reform Act was part of a broader trend of tough-on-crime policies that emerged in response to rising crime rates and public concerns about safety. In the 1970s, law and order politics took root in America, with elected officials such as judges, sheriffs, and prosecutors often campaigning on promises to be "tough on crime".
This cultural and political shift led to a significant expansion of the prison population, with some states even turning to private prisons.
Concerns about civil liberties, including habeas corpus rights and protections against cruel and unusual punishment as outlined in the Bill of Rights, are also integral to understanding the legal context in which the Prison Litigation Reform Act operates. Option A