Final answer:
The statement is false. The 1996 Prison Litigation Reform Act does not prohibit inmates from filing "in forma pauperis" if they have filed petitions in the past.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that inmates cannot file "in forma pauperis" if they have filed petitions in the past is False. The 1996 Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA) implemented various reforms to the federal inmate litigation process. One provision of the PLRA was to limit the filing of lawsuits by prisoners who have previously filed multiple frivolous or malicious lawsuits.
However, the PLRA does not expressly prohibit inmates from filing "in forma pauperis," which means filing a lawsuit without having to pay the court fees due to their financial inability.
Therefore, inmates can still file "in forma pauperis" even if they have filed petitions in the past, as long as they meet the criteria for indigency and their claims have merit.