"It is said that no one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails. A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones."
- Nelson Mandela -
USA Prison System
I present here general information regarding the curent USA prison system and in particular the current state of Alabama prison system.
I myself have a chronic medical condition which requires very expensive specialist care, living in particular conditions to stop the condition getting worse or unbearable and a particular extensive daily care routine.
Although the conditions in USA prisons would have an extremely detrimental effect on my health and from the conditions and treatment I have read about in my opinion my premature death; again I will not be saying any more regarding how these conditions would effect me as an individual, because the much bigger and more important issue are the thousands and thousands of others it has effected, effects now and will continue to effect.
It would seem when certain countries mistreat and abuse their citizens with human rights abuses, these countries are condemned and the relationship with them is at best critical and unfriendly, with certain other countries the abuses are willingly ignored and we go about our relationship with them as if there is no problem.
Prison conditions in the USA and in particular Alabama can easily be found with a little research; there is a staggering amount of information, which cannot be found in such abundance for other US states, about the prison conditions in Alabama, some even posted by prison inmates currently held and tying to get the truth about conditions to the outside world. (The Free Alabama movement)
General USA Prison Conditions:
I start here because of the recent extradition case of UK citizen Lauri Love.
Citing U.S. Prison Conditions, British Appeals Court Refuses to Extradite Accused Hacker Lauri Love to the U.S. (2018)
-The Intercept 6th february 2018-
A British court rules that sending defendants to the U.S. prison system is a human rights violation. (2018)
-The Washington Post 7th february 2018-
Rotten and Rat-Infested: The Appalling Food and Healthcare Conditions Facing Inmates in U.S. Prisons. (2018)
https://inthesetimes.com/working/entry/21081/prisons_food_healthcare_abolition
-In These Times 20th April 2018-
Heat in US Prisons and Jails - Columbia Law School by Daniel W. E. Holt (2015)
or
https://vdocumento.com/heatinusprisonsandjailspdf.html
Alabama ALA. DEP'T OF CORR., ADMIN. REG. 435, § V(C)(3)(a)(2) (2006)
Again, an old reference, but as you will see; nothing has changed.
Inmates assigned to Protective Custody who are taking prescribed psychotropic medication
shall comply with the requirements of AR 619, Psychotropic Medication and Heat, [and] when the
temperature in the housing unit reaches 90 degrees Fahrenheit, the following actions shall be
taken:
(a) Record the temperatures on ADOC Form MH-026, Housing Unit Temperature Log.
(b) Increased ventilation of the area through utilization of fans to improve airflow and reduce cell temperatures to less than 90 degrees.
(c) Provision of increased fluids and ice. (d) Allowance of additional showers to provide cooling.
Unlike the prison population, which consists primarily of offenders who have been convicted and sentenced to a term of confinement, much of the jail population is made up of people who have not yet stood trial. Because those individuals are not in custody for the purpose of punishment, the Eighth Amendment does not apply to them.
Alabama Prison System Conditions:
The lack of prisoner care, healthcare, mental healthcare, terrible food, terrible prison conditions, human rights and constututional violations.
When it comes to the state of Alabama however, like many other states in the south; the so called Bible belt, the prison system is in another league when it comes to mistreatment and appauling conditions (how very Christian of them!); and this has been going on for decades whilst people look the other way.
These stories are some I gathered whilst going through this legal process, they are by far not the only ones.
I start with an Alabama inmates own testimony:
1.
Shame on Alabama,
https://prisonwatchnetwork.org/category/alabama/
by an Alabama inmate. (2015-2016)
This is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me God.
That is what the following that you are about to read is and will be. You may not like it, and you probably won't, you may even doubt it or disregard it, but it will still be the truth, and not what your elected officials and appointed do-boys want you to believe, and yet have been reportedly telling you the public for years. If you doubt because of who or where I presently am, I can prove every word that's said and that makes me dangerous to these liars.
2.
Federal lawsuit filed against Jefferson County, claiming crowded and poor jail conditions. (2011)
I
realise this is quite old but I include it because; it includes a lot
of information; and it demonstrates the current conditions are not new
and in fact you can go back 20 years+ and find exactly the same
type of stories in Alabama, lots of talk about improvement but never any
action.
https://blog.al.com/spotnews/2011/09/federal_lawsuit_filed_against_1.html
Here are some of the
conditions at the jail, according to the lawsuit:
-- Six to eight inmates are in cells designed for two, and three to four inmates
are sleeping on the concrete floor, often without mattresses.
-- Only two meals are served a day, "and these meals would
shame any standard of decency."
-- The sheriff has discontinued any jail visitors or clergy, though attorneys
are allowed.
-- There is no effective segregation of the inmate population as to varying
levels of offenses.
-- The mental health of inmates is ignored.
-- The physical health of inmates "is at best abysmal."
-- The sheriff has effectively only allowed the practice of Christianity in the
jail - denying inmates access to "virtually all outside reading material
except letters and the Christian Bible."
3.
'Houston County Jail inmates have long complained at the atrocious and unsanitary conditions in which they are confined, many being held for years, unable to bond out and denied basic human rights, as they await trial.'
https://houstoncountyjail.org/category/dangerous-conditions/
'The first time i had to go to HCJ when the court date was continued 10 days **********. I barely maintained my sanity. On *********, I was put in a docket cell that had to be at least 45 degrees, for two days without shoes, toothbrush, toothpaste, soap or shampoo, until they "processed" me, not allowed to shower and anytime i requested tissue to use the toilet i was threatened that i would be put in lock-down after i was booked in, if i "kept on".'
https://houstoncountyjail.org/2015/02/09/hello-world/#more-2
'Mattresses are removed from the metal beds at 4am and they are not returned until 7pm, even when inmates are locked in the cells all day long they are not allowed to lie down, they have to remain sat upright, anyone caught laying down even on the concrete is immediately placed in segregation.'
Rule 31 states:
'Inmates shall not lie on any bunk except during night roll in hours 10:00 PM to 09:30 AM. Inmates shall not lie on any floor or be under any bunk at anytime. During other roll in times an inmate may sit on a bunk, but must be sitting upright. The mat shall at all times remain flat on the bunk and fully in the matt tray.'
4.
As Temperatures Soar, Prisons and Jails are Unequipped for the Heat. (2017)
https://projectearth.us/as-temperatures-soar-prisons-and-jails-are-unequipped-1797838777
Quintero Jones was an inmate at the McConnell Unit in Beeville, Texas. One day when the outdoor temperature had reached 98 degrees and humidity made it feel like 110, the 36-year-old collapsed in his cell and lay on the floor gasping for breath. According to a federal lawsuit filed by his family members in July, by the time help arrived, it was too late. His autopsy revealed that his death was caused by an asthma attack.
5.
Opinion: No such thing as a speedy trial in Alabama. (2017)
"In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed ..." - U.S. Constitution, 1789 (rev. 1992)
6.
Alabama inmate has been in jail for ten YEARS with no trial. (2017)
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4619326/Alabama-inmate-jail-ten-YEARS-no-trial.html
Kharon Davis has been in jail in Alabama for a decade without bail
He is charged with the robbery/killing of Pete Reaves at Reaves' Rolling Hills apartment on June 6, 2007 along with two other men
His lawyer argued that their was a conflict of interest because Davis' previous attorney had a son on the prosecution stand as a police officer
7.
Inmates are dying in jails that prioritize cutting health care costs. (2016)
In the summer of 2013, Deundrez was arrested for allegedly shoplifting Star Wars DVDs and using a fake $100 bill at a local Walmart, and he had a warrant out for an unpaid speeding ticket. The charges earned him a two-month sentence in Alabama's Madison County Jail. After about a month in the jail, Deundrez's behavior started to change dramatically - by early August, he had dropped dozens of pounds and was barely lucid. He was suffering from a badly infected wound on his right foot - gangrene - that was not treated by the jail's medical staff, despite his obvious and rapid deterioration.
8.
Prison Reform: Health Care in Alabama's Prisons. (2017)
https://www.apr.org/post/prison-reform-health-care-alabamas-prisons#stream/0
Alabama's prison system has been in the news a lot this year, and not for good reasons. Violence, inmate riots, allegations of mismanagement and corruption and a failed prison building plan in the state legislature have all pointed out plenty of problems.
9.
As Alabama cuts mental health care, sheriffs say jails overwhelmed. (2016)
https://www.al.com/news/huntsville/index.ssf/2016/08/alabama_sheriffs_on_the_front.html
Ateam of four reporters called every county in Alabama earlier this year to gauge the scope of the problem.
The first question was: "Do you have any inmates in jail right now who need mental health treatment?"
Sheriffs or chief deputies in 40 of 67 counties responded. And 70 percent answered that at that moment they were holding someone in need of mental health services.
10.
SPLC uncovers deplorable conditions at Alabama jail, urges Department of Justice to investigate. (2014)
The SPLC today urged the Justice Department to investigate the Jefferson County Jail in Birmingham, Ala. - an overcrowded lock-up where violence, neglect and abuse are common, especially for children.
11.
Jailers Who Had Female Inmates Dance Nude for Donuts Are Among Many Tales of Recent Abuse in Alabama Jails. (2015)
Latest scandal mild in comparison to other recent abuse and corruption cases at Alabama county jails.
https://reason.com/blog/2015/06/17/alabama-jailers-indicted/prin
Three corrections officers at an Alabama county jail were caught coercing female inmates into nude dancing for them in exchange for doughnuts and cell phones, according to the Pickens County sheriff. The jailers, who have since been fired, appeared in court last week on felony ethics violation charges after jail security cameras showed them bribing the women to strip and dance.
12.
Jail Guards Tortured Inmate With A Burmese Python, Lawsuit Says. (2015)
Correctional officers at an Alabama jail used giant snakes as a "means of torture, harassment, control and intimidation against the inmates,"
13.
ACLU files lawsuit challenging long waits in Alabama jails for mentally ill. (2016)
https://www.mh.alabama.gov/Downloads/COPI/NewsArticles/ALcom100516.pdf
The Alabama Department of Mental Health violates the rights of inmates who need mental health care by forcing them to wait
months for treatment in the state hospital, according to a federal lawsuit filed today.
14.
Notorious County Jail And Contractor Sued Again For Denying Inmate Treatment For Alcohol Withdrawal. (2016)
https://shadowproof.com/2016/09/22/notorious-madison-county-ach-roy-davis/
In fact, the arguments made by his attorneys echo those of many other lawsuits and investigations, which conclude ACH's contracts are structured to incentivize profits over inmate health, limit liability for medical neglect, and empower the company to deny basic treatments and care for inmates.
15.
Department of Justice Announces Investigation of the Jefferson County Jail in Birmingham, Alabama. (2015)
The Justice Department
announced today that it has opened an investigation of the Jefferson County
Jail in Birmingham, Alabama, focusing on the treatment of
juveniles. The investigation will assess whether juveniles are detained
at the jail in conditions that pose a serious risk of harm to their physical
and psychological well-being.
16.
Lawsuits: Alabama Jailers Allowed 3 Inmates to Die of 19th-Century Ailments. (2014)
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/10/alabama-jailers-watched-three-inmates-died-their-cells/
Gangrene, a bowel obstruction, and delirium tremens killed inmates in the Madison County jail In 2013.
17.
Federal lawsuit filed in 2014 death of inmate after Tasing at Jefferson County Jail. (2014)
https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/index.ssf/2016/10/federal_lawsuit_filed_in_2014.html
A federal lawsuit has been filed in the 2014 death of a 47-year-old Pleasant Grove man who died in the Jefferson County Jail after being Tased while in lockup.
Birmingham attorney Anthony Piazza filed the suit on behalf of the estate of Ricky DeAngelo Hinkle, claiming jail employees and medical staff at the jail were deliberately indifferent to the serious medical needs of Hinkle.
18.
Air Conditioning is a human right. (2016)
https://time.com/4405338/air-conditioning-human-right/
'And Texas is not the lone, sweltering state without mandatory air conditioning in its prisons. For instance, neither Alabama nor Florida, which alone holds over 100,000 prisoners, require air conditioning in their facilities.'
19.
Alabama's Prisons and County Jails. (2018)
www.alabamacounties.org/ix-alabamas-prisons-and-county-jails/
Alabama's prison system faces a crisis not unlike the crisis duplicated on a daily basis in each of the 67 county jails. The watchful eye of the federal courts, the never-ending expense of providing jail services, the growing costs of health care and the training and compensation for officers presents a challenge well beyond the reach of a county commission devoid of revenue-generating powers. On the other hand, an efficient local law enforcement agency and jail is necessary to maintain order and to ensure the safety of all Alabamians. The Association is gravely concerned that all reform efforts, statutory changes or administrative rules be considered only in light of direct, indirect and unintended consequences generated at the county level.
Strategic Goals
To amend Alabama law to limit the medical service costs for an individual in county custody at an amount not exceeding Alabama's Medicaid rates and fees.
20.
Failure of Alabama prison bill sets the stage for federal intervention. (2016)
https://whnt.com/2016/05/06/failure-of-alabama-prison-bill-sets-the-stage-for-federal-intervention/
Inmates in Holman and Elmore correctional facilities have been on work stoppage for nearly a week, protesting the conditions that come with severe overcrowding, including inadequate food, medical care, and violence.
21.
FREE ALABAMA MOVEMENT calls for federal investigation into allegations of Human Rights violations at Holman Prison. (2016)
After receiving
numerous phone calls from family members and photographs from conditions inside
Holman prison, FREE ALABAMA MOVEMENT and other representatives are calling for
federal authorities and Human Rights attorneys to investigate allegations of Human
Rights violations taking place at Holman to punish peaceful protests.
22.
Alabama's Holman prison is 'Hell on Earth'. (2016)
https://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/crime/302186-alabamas-holman-prison-is-hell-on-earth
uilt on a shoestring budget of five million dollars during Governor Lurleen Wallace's administration, it took just five years for Holman prison's perpetually overcrowded, unsafe and unsanitary conditions to draw the ire of federal officials. In an article titled, "Court closes Alabama prison gates," dated August 30, 1975, The St. Petersburg Times (now The Tampa Bay Times), in neighboring Florida, reported that two federal district court judges, William Brevard Hand and Frank M. Johnson, Jr., ordered Alabama to stop sending prisoners to Holman (and three other prisons) due to overcrowding and the accompanying inhumanity, violence and other perils that brings.
Forty-one years later, nothing has changed.
23.
Sheriff, commissioners at odds over troubled Madison County jail. (2015)
https://www.al.com/news/huntsville/index.ssf/2015/12/sheriff_commissioners_at_odds.html
We've got individuals dying in the jail, we've got individuals being abused and beaten in the jail," Commissioner Steve Haraway told Dorning during that meeting. "Yeah, I understand they have done some things they shouldn't do but I don't think we should get to that point.
24.
Decatur inmates file federal lawsuits about city jail conditions. (2015)
Complaints filed in federal court by 14 Decatur City Jail inmates describe squalid living conditions, inadequate medical care, poor food, the inability to get a speedy trial and other problems at a jail slated to close next year.The inmates said the jail has poor ventilation, rusted metal, old mattresses, and broken toilets, showers, urinals and faucets.
25.
Prison Conditions. (2016) (St. Claire's for Women)
https://eji.org/mass-incarceration/prison-conditions
EJI investigates abusive and dangerous prison conditions in Alabama-where prisons hold more than double (190 percent) their design capacity and have the highest inmate-to-officer ratio in the country. A dramatic increase in violence, inmate murders, and corruption has been documented and exposed by EJI staff, and our reports about widespread rape and sexual abuse of incarcerated women at Tutwiler Prison for Women, the physical and sexual abuse of male prisoners by officers and staff at three other Alabama prisons, and the murder of a young inmate by correctional officers have led to federal investigations, prosecutions, and mandated reforms. Alabama is an outlier in its refusal to meaningfully address its prison crisis, and EJI continues to challenge the Alabama Department of Corrections to reform unconstitutional prison conditions.
26.
Alabama Sheriff In Court For Starving Inmates, Paying Critic's Grandson To Install Keylogger On Her Computer. (2017)
A number of statutes and practices have created perverse incentives for law enforcement, but none are nearly so blatant as this Alabama state law governing the feeding of inmates. The law, passed over 100 years ago, says law enforcement personnel -- mainly sheriffs -- can keep whatever's left over from state and federal inmate food stipends. This doesn't mean the leftover money is routed to a general fund or used to defray law enforcement/jail-related expenses. No, this means the money flows from taxpayers, (mostly) bypasses prisoners, and ends up in sheriffs' personal checking accounts.
27.
No easy answers, but there are three imperatives as Alabama eyes prison reform. (2015)
https://www.al.com/opinion/index.ssf/2014/12/no_easy_answers_but_there_are.html
'No prisoner can be housed in an "unfit" or "unhealthy" cell or compartment. But, by law, it's entirely up to the Alabama Department of Corrections to decide how its facilities measure up. At one point during Marsha Colby's four-year stint (2008-2012) at Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women, 72 women shared just two working toilets. "The food has worms in it, and the boxes say 'Not for human consumption,' said Stephanie Hibbett, who served just more than a year at Tutwiler '
Alabama voices:
-- Solving the myriad of problems within our state prisons is a complex challenge, and many issues will require significant time, planning, and money. But other issues can - and should - be addressed immediately. In particular, those who commit acts of violence against prisoners must be held accountable for their actions, and there is no excuse for not bringing them to justice. Most significantly, incarceration should not deprive a person of his or her fundamental right to be treated as a human being, or to have their inherent dignity taken from them. -- Wayne Verry, Foley
-- I have a son in the ADOC and it is destroying him! They sit all day with NOTHING to do but read (if you can get a book to them). They are faced with abusive guards (there are some good ones), they are in constant fear of attack by another inmate or guard. The food is horrible ... dried milk, meat marked not for human consumption. That is just the tip of the iceberg. Anyone who has someone inside is appalled at the conditions. -- Dawn Johnson, Birmingham
-- We must protect our citizens from violent criminals, thieves, and robbers. Build more prisons and expand others. Do not be more lenient. -- Steve Neugent, Muscle Shoals
-- The current system is trapped by "thinking inside the box." It fails at problem identification and solving. Increasing capacity will give the current system a free pass to continue in its dysfunction. -- Gary Gover, Fairhope
28.
Alabama prisons face costly remedy on mental health care. (2017)
U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson ruled in June that mental health care in Alabama prisons is "horrendously inadequate," so poor that it violates the Eighth Amendment prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment.
29.
How This Small Prison in Rural Alabama Became One of the Most Horrifying Places in America. (2014)
https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/bn5djz/the-horrific-state-of-alabamas-prisons
According to Bryan Stevenson, executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, a prison reform nonprofit in Alabama, St. Clair's problems stem from a toxic mix of factors: overcrowding, a warden who doesn't care what prisoners do to one another, and drug-dealing guards who sometimes order hits on inmates.
"There is a lot of illegal activity by correctional staff - they're smuggling in drugs, cell phones, and other contraband," Stevenson told me. "These officers bring the stuff in and have inmates collect the money. And when people refuse to pay, oftentimes violence is ordered by the officers to make sure that they recover what they're supposed to get."
30.
Alabama Has Nation's Most Violent Prisons, and They're Getting Worse. (2017)
https://eji.org/news/alabama-prison-violence-escalating-with-eight-homicides-in-2017
Alabama also is an outlier in terms of the sheer number of incarcerated people killed. In 2015, despite holding only 2 percent of the nation's prison population, Alabama was responsible for 10 percent of the nation's prison homicides. That year, Alabama had more prison killings than either Florida or Texas, even though those states incarcerate roughly five times as many people as Alabama.
31.
Corruption and Misuse of Government Funds. (2016)
https://freealabamamovement.wordpress.com/tag/unsanitary-conditions/
This picture depicts the kitchen at Draper Correctional Facility in Alabama. What you see is pure filth and about 20 health code violations from mops in the cooking area, chemicals next to cooking pots, broken tile, and a cooking pot placed on a nasty floor to be filled with water to prepare food...
32.
Prison Reform: Health Care in Alabama's Prisons. (2017)
https://apr.org/post/prison-reform-health-care-alabamas-prisons#stream/0
'Today, APR's Alex AuBuchon looks at the quality of prison health care in Alabama and examines a large federal lawsuit challenging whether inmates receive the minimum care guaranteed in the Constitution.'
'Attorney David Schoen is representing the Anderson family in a lawsuit. He alleges the staff at the Tuscaloosa County Jail sat and watched Anderson as he screamed in pain from a bleeding ulcer. When he finally received medical attention, it was too late.'
'The Southern Poverty Law Center and the Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program are among the groups suing the Alabama Department of Corrections over inmate health care. Richard Cohen of the SPLC says he wants specific things...'
33.
Prisoner Labor Focus of Controversy in Texas, Alabama. (2017)
https://www.prisonlegalnews.org/news/2017/oct/10/prisoner-labor-focus-controversy-texas-alabama/
'Prisoners in Alabama also went on strike, beginning May 1, 2016 - May Day - to protest the prison system's use of what amounts to slave labor. The state's prison industry program, Alabama Correctional Industries, produces a variety of products ranging from clothing and barbecue grills to janitorial supplies. Unlike in Texas, prisoners are paid for their labor - at wages ranging from $.25 to $.75 per hour.'
'According to the wife of one ADOC lifer, conditions at the Holman Correctional Facility (HCF) were "deplorable," citing Grade-D meat fed to prisoners in boxes labeled "not for human consumption." HCF is also a violent facility, with a 2014 homicide rate of 232.4 per 100,000 prisoners in contrast to a national prison homicide rate of 7 per 100,000 prisoners.'
"Slavery is only legal under the criminal justice system," he added. "If we are gonna continue to work for free, we continue to give them power by which they can keep the system going. We have to affect the money. If we affect the money, then they'll have to downsize."
34.
Alabama Forced to Confront Criminal Justice Reform. (2016)
https://www.prisonlegalnews.org/news/2016/may/5/alabama-forced-confront-criminal-justice-reform
We're at a fork in the road," Alabama state Senator Cam Ward, chairman of the Prison Reform Task Force, said in June 2014. "We have two paths to choose from and neither one is easy. Those of us on the task force can solve, it or federal courts can do it for us. It's our choice."
With the state's prison system at around 192% of capacity, lawsuits pending over inadequate medical care and high levels of violence, and federal oversight due to pervasive staff-on-prisoner sexual abuse, Alabama has one of the nation's most troubled Departments of Corrections.
35.
Feds Open Investigation into Violence and Rape in Alabama's Prisons for Men. (2016)
The investigation will focus on whether prisoners are adequately protected from physical harm and sexual abuse at the hands of other prisoners; whether prisoners are adequately protected from use of excessive force and staff sexual abuse by correctional officers; and whether the prisons provide sanitary, secure and safe living conditions.
36.
Feds to investigate conditions at Alabama prisons. (2016)
The U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday launched an investigation into conditions in Alabama prisons
37.
Cruel Confinement: Abuse, Discrimination and Death Within Alabama's Prisons. (2014)
An investigation by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program (ADAP) has found that for many people incarcerated in Alabama's state prisons, a sentence is more than a loss of freedom. Prisoners, including those with disabilities and serious physical and mental illnesses, are condemned to penitentiaries where systemic indifference, discrimination and dangerous - even life-threatening - conditions are the norm.
38.
Dennis McKeithan VS Nelson Iannuzzi prison. (2011)
Although this is fairly old I feel the need to include it as it tells the story of an inmate with eczema suddenly being denied treated because the department of corrections had reclassified what conditions count as chronic.
https://www.casemine.com/judgement/us/5914f897add7b0493499cda6
On April 24, 2010, when McKeithan went to sick call to renew his medication for another six months, Dr. Lisiak denied him treatment, stating that they could no longer treat him under the chronic classification because administrators at the Department of Corrections, such as defendant Cerullo, had established their own classification of chronic conditions and skin disease was not included).
39.
Report says Alabama next to last in prison health care spending. (2017)
https://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2017/10/report_says_alabama_next_to_la.html
'The quality of care in Alabama prisons is the subject of a federal lawsuit that's been unfolding for more than three years. How to provide and pay for care that meets constitutional standards is a problem for a system that faces the overarching concerns of overcrowded, understaffed and aging prisons.'
'The SPLC and ADAP sued the state in 2014 on behalf of inmates over medical care, mental health care and the care of disabled inmates. Thompson divided the case into several parts. He heard weeks of testimony in a non-jury trial on the mental health claims but has yet to do so on the medical care claims.'
40.
Plaintiffs say state's plan won't fix Alabama prison mental health care. (2017)
https://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2017/10/plaintiffs_say_states_plan_won.html
Alabama's proposal to increase staffing to help fix what a federal judge said was "horrendously inadequate" mental health care in state prisons falls short, lawyers who represent the inmates told the court on Thursday.
The inmates' lawyers filed an 86-page response to the state's plan for increasing mental health staff and security staff at the Alabama Department of Corrections. U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson wrote that understaffing is one of the overarching problems contributing to the state's problems.
41.
Attorneys say Alabama prison plan inadequate, vague. (2017)
https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/attorneys-says-alabama-prison-plan-inadequate-vague/
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Alabama's plan to improve correctional and mental health staffing in state prisons is vague and inadequate, attorneys for inmates told a federal judge last week.
42.
SPLC: Alabama prisons must address staffing needs and accept monitoring of failing mental health treatment. (2017)
The Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) must conduct a meaningful analysis of the staffing it needs to address an unconstitutionally inadequate level of care for prisoners who have mental illnesses, according to a brief filed in federal court yesterday by the SPLC.
43.
SPLC: Solitary confinement can cause mental illness (2017)
https://www.splcenter.org/news/2017/10/16/splc-solitary-confinement-can-cause-mental-illness
Healthy people who are forced into solitary confinement in prison may develop mental illnesses due to their isolation, but the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) deliberately ignores the problem, according to a brief filed in federal court last week by the SPLC.
44.
Prison Reform: Alabama's overcrowding problem. (2016)
https://apr.org/post/prison-reform-alabamas-overcrowding-problem#stream/0
It's a hot day at Limestone. There's no air conditioning and it smells like it. Fans are used to try and cool the facility, but today it's not helping. There are so many prisoners gathered in one place, the temperature rises quickly.
45.
The architecture of violence in Alabama's prisons. (2017)
https://www.al.com/news/mobile/index.ssf/2017/02/the_architecture_of_violence_i.html
Most of the near
25,000 prisoners inside Alabama's 15 state correctional facilities are crammed
into open-plan dormitories, where hundreds of inmates sleep side-by-side on
steel-framed bunk beds. Basic toilet and shower facilities are in short supply,
while lack of air conditioning and personal space
46.
Ball v. LeBlanc, 792 F. 3d 584 - Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit. 2015
https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=391181324665456910HYPERLINK
'...A month later, the district court appointed United States Risk Management ("USRM") to monitor the temperature at the facility. During the monitoring period, July 15 to August 5, the temperature on tiers A and H ranged from 78.26° to 92.66° F.[5] Meanwhile, the heat index ranged from 81.5° to 107.79° F. On five separate days the heat index on tier A surpassed 100° F. On tier H, the heat index surpassed 100° F on seven days...'
'The judge personally toured the facility to observe the conditions first-hand. Several months later, the district court issued a 100-page ruling that concluded the conditions on death row are cruel and unusual because of extreme heat during parts of the year. '
47.
Alabama sheriffs keeping jail food money could run afoul of federal law, lawyers say. (2018)
https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/index.ssf/2018/03/alabama_sheriffs_keeping_jail.html
towah County Sheriff Todd Entrekin has repeatedly stated that he has not broken any laws by personally keeping more than $750,000 allocated over three years to feed inmates in the county jail he runs and purchasing a $740,000 beach house with his wife.
48.
Community mental health: 'Prisons are the largest mental hospitals,' says commissioner. (2018)
https://eu.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/news/2018/01/11/community-mental-health-tragedy-every-level/996132001/
Alabama's prisons for years have struggled with cascading problems stemming from overcrowding. While reform efforts have led to significant drops in its population in recent years, the system was at 160 percent capacity in August.
49.
Alabama Prisons Ruled 'Horrendously Inadequate,' Must Improve. (2017)
(302 page official judge ruling PDF)
https://www.npr.org/documents/2017/jun/JudgeMyronThompsonRuling.pdf
U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson of Montgomery says Alabama is putting prisoners' lives at risk with "horrendously inadequate" care and a lack of services for inmates with psychiatric problems.
50.
Lawsuit: Death caused by poor health care at Morgan jail. (2018)
https://www.decaturdaily.com/news/morgan_county/lawsuit-death-caused-by-poor-health-care-at-morgan-jail/article_c93bbd75-0319-50d5-b914-0d631081355c.html
"Systemically these correctional health care providers save money by delaying expensive care," said the plaintiff's lawyer, Hank Sherrod of Florence, this week. "Sometimes they can do that and maybe somebody suffers but nobody dies. If they roll the dice enough times, bad stuff can happen."
51.
Judge ends Morgan jail oversight, says mentally
ill inmates at 'substantial risk' (Sept 2018)
https://www.decaturdaily.com/news/morgan_county/judge-ends-morgan-jail-oversight-says-mentally-ill-inmates-at/article_c117c725-b046-5bff-aa22-848a6d0d79b4.html
Even as he ended 17 years of court oversight of the Morgan County Jail,
a federal judge found the jail's treatment of its many inmates with
mental health issues creates a substantial risk of serious harm.
52.
Federal inmate dies in custody at north Alabama jail (Nov 2018 - Morgan County jail)
https://www.al.com/news/2018/11/federal-inmate-dies-in-custody-at-north-alabama-jail.html
Heather Nicole Legg, a 27-year-old from Lester, died after being taken to Decatur Morgan Hospital, the sheriff said. Legg faced federal drug charges, court documents show.
Jail staff found Legg unresponsive around 3:30 p.m., Franklin said.
"Corrections staff immediately began CPR and nursing staff was on the scene almost simultaneously," the sheriff said in a press release.
An ambulance took Legg to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead as a result of undisclosed medical reasons.
The sheriff asked the State Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Marshals to investigate the death.
A further concern about this is if one of the comments on this story is accurate:
Jhulea
Someone
contact me about Ms. Legs death please. I was in booking and saw her go
down. I saw the medical staff mock her and say she was faking. I saw
them set her down in the chair. She was throwing up. Her death is
neglect. I had no idea she passed. I didn't know what happened after
that point other than they did NOT take her seizure seriously. Please
contact me if you are her family or attorney. This girl should be alive
today.
53.
Morgan County jail inmate dies, sheriff says (July 2019)
An inmate in the Morgan County Jail in Decatur has died after being
found unresponsive in a cell, according to the sheriff's department.
https://www.al.com/news/2019/06/morgan-county-jail-inmate-found-dead-sheriff-says.html
https://whnt.com/2018/11/19/morgan-county-sheriff-confirms-in-custody-inmate-death
54.
Morgan County Sheriff Ron Puckett talks inmate mental health - 13th April 2019
https://whnt.com/2019/04/13/morgan-county-sheriff-ron-puckett-talks-inmate-mental-health/
"Our jail is incarceration, it's intended to be punishment, it's not set up for mental health care. In our jail, it's probably 40 percent of our inmates that are going through a mental health crisis and that's why they're in our jail."
Full Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JQ2z03e6sE&feature=youtu.be
55.
Morgan County Jail inmate dies after being found unresponsive in cell - (Sept 25th 2019)
An investigation is underway after an inmate at the Morgan County Jail died after being found unresponsive in his cell.
Life-saving measures were performed on the inmate, who was not identified because their next of kin was not yet notified, and the prisoner was taken to Decatur Morgan Hospital where they were pronounced dead, the Morgan County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday.
Command staff at the sheriff's office as well as the Morgan County coroner arrived at the jail to investigate.
No further information was available.
56.
Woman dies while being booked in jail (Sept 29th 2019)
https://www.al.com/news/2019/09/woman-dies-while-being-booked-in-jail.html
A 39-year-old woman died on Friday morning while being booked into the Morgan County Jail, the Morgan County Sheriff's Office said.
At about 2 a.m., a white female from Decatur was being booked at the jail when she died.
She was arrested for public intoxication Thursday at 1:53 a.m. by the Decature Police Department.
"The Sheriff, Chief, Coroner & investigator arrived on scene & initiated an investigation with Toxicology/autopsy pending," the Sheriff's office said in a statement.
The name was being withheld pending notification of family.
57.
Alabama sheriffs release sick, dying inmates from jail to avoid paying their hospital bills (long investagative article Sept 30th 2019)
Across Alabama, sheriffs are increasingly releasing county jail inmates
in medical crisis from their custody to avoid paying the inmates'
hospital bills.
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To all this I would say;
Until
people stop looking the other way and pretending there isn't a problem,
both in the USA itself and counties like the UK who send their citizens
to the USA, in particularly concerning the blatant human rights and
constitutional rights abuses,
nothing will change.
The terrible conditions and abuses are not the accused; and possibly innocent or convicted persons fault and if the USA do not like this being criticized, or the issue talked about, complained about, widely reported, or people like Lauri Love not being extradited because of it, then maybe they should start to do something about it by improving sentencing, conditions, food, healthcare etc. and stop breaching human and their own constitutional rights; starting with the improvement for their own citizens!
By treating people like this you are just creating more problems for yourselves and the whole of society when they are released.
-
"It is said that no one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails. A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones."
- Nelson Mandela -