The inmates eagerly file back into jail.

But two inmates filed a claim saying the guards forced them to beat the Asian detainees.

For decades inmates of state prisons have filed appeals under the concept of habeas corpus.

Mr. Dole noted that he had proposed a bill to limit to one year the time in which death-row inmates could file appeals.

Two inmates serving long terms for sexual assault had filed a lawsuit earlier this year contending that the law violated their First Amendment rights.

These inmates will often file numerous appeals to courts at every level.

In these unique cases, inmates can file an appeal which could be reviewed by the United States Supreme Court.

The Federal courts had held that they had no jurisdiction over any aspect of the case until the inmate filed a habeas petition.

In 1977, three inmates (two current and one former) filed a lawsuit alleging that they had been harmed by medical experiments using drugs and radiation.

In the Federal statute governing habeas corpus, there is no limit on the number of petitions that inmates can file.