Rule 60.3 PLRA Civil Actions or Prisoner Suits Based on Delictual Actions of Government Officials or Employees

If you're a prisoner and you want to sue a corrections officer or other government worker for hurting you or violating your rights, you have to file that lawsuit in the right district court. The law says you can sue for money damages, to stop something from happening, or for other similar relief. This applies whether you're in the custody of the Department of Corrections or a local sheriff. The specific court where you must file is set by state law, not just any court you choose.

Before you can even file this kind of lawsuit, you usually have to try to fix the problem through the prison or jail's own complaint system first. This is called exhausting your administrative remedies. Courts expect you to use whatever internal grievance process is available to you before going to court. If you skip this step when a process was available to you, your case may not be allowed to move forward.

In short, this rule tells prisoners two main things: file your lawsuit in the correct court based on where you're held, and use the jail or prison's complaint process first if one exists. Skipping either step can cause delays or get your case dismissed before it's even heard.