(I'm sure you know this) They're also sometimes an official way for the prisons to meet their constitutional duty to let people challenge the terms of their imp

(I'm sure you know this) They're also sometimes an official way for the prisons to meet their constitutional duty to let people challenge the terms of their imprisonment. If you're thinking "wait, they can't just declare a random person whose read some books enough of a lawyer to help people" you'd be wrong.