“Inhumane” Violations Against Mentally Ill Prisoners at RI Dept. of Corrections Alleged in Lawsuit

“Inhumane” Violations Against Mentally Ill Prisoners at RI Dept. of Corrections Alleged in Lawsuit

A federal class-action lawsuit was filed on Friday against the Rhode Island Department of Corrections (RIDOC) alleging multiple constitutional violations of the rights of prisoners with serious and persistent mental illness. 

Attorneys for the American Civil Liberties Union National Prison Project and its Rhode Island Affiliate along with Disability Rights Rhode Island filed the complaint, which alleges violations of the plaintiffs’ constitutional right against cruel and unusual punishment, as well as violations of federal laws barring discrimination against persons with disabilities. 

Read the Lawsuit HERE

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The lawsuit alleges that RIDOC “subject[s] hundreds of people to prolonged solitary confinement in tiny, frequently filthy cells where they are kept locked down for 22 to 24 hours a day for weeks, months, and even years at a time. While in solitary confinement, these men and women have little human contact or access to exercise, fresh air and sunlight, or other environmental stimulation."

The suit seeks sweeping changes in the way that those inmates are treated at the ACI.

About Lawsuit

The 58-page complaint describes the harm that the six named inmate plaintiffs and others at the ACI – both sentenced prisoners and pretrial detainees – experience due to the conditions of their confinement.

According to the groups, the lead plaintiff in the case, Charlene Liberty, has engaged in serious self-injurious behaviors, including multiple suicide attempts, while in solitary. The suit claims that she has been pepper-sprayed and shackled as a result of these self-injurious behaviors, and even been sanctioned with solitary confinement for attempting suicide.

The lawsuit seeks a judicial finding that the defendants have violated the inmates’ constitutional and statutory rights, and a permanent injunction against RIDOC placing prisoners with mental illness in solitary confinement. 

The suit also seeks comprehensive remedies for the inhumane conditions faced by inmates with mental illness, including the appointment of independent experts to oversee improvements in their housing and to assist in the design and implementation of alternatives to solitary confinement.