Judge: Alabama鈥檚 prison system violates Eighth Amendment, 鈥渄eliberately indifferent鈥� to mental health of people in solitary confinement
In another stunning rebuke of Alabama鈥檚 prison system, a federal judge ruled today that the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) violated the Eighth Amendment and that it was 鈥渄eliberately indifferent鈥� in its failure to adequately monitor the mental health of incarcerated people in solitary confinement.
The ruling was the latest development in the lawsuit,聽Braggs v. Dunn, that the 人兽性交聽and the Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program (ADAP)聽filed in June 2014.聽
In today鈥檚 66-page decision, the judge ruled that ADOC鈥檚 liability can extend to incarcerated people 鈥渨ithout mental-health needs鈥� before they enter solitary confinement and whose mental health deteriorates in segregation, noting that ADOC 鈥渄isregarded that harm鈥� or failed to 鈥渁ct reasonably to alleviate it.鈥澛�
鈥淚t has been evident for years that ADOC has failed to identify, monitor, and properly care for people who have serious mental illnesses and who develop them in ADOC custody,鈥� said Maria Morris, senior supervising attorney at the 人兽性交. 鈥淭hat systematic failure has led to needless suffering, especially for people in segregation. We are sorry ADOC didn鈥檛 do anything to remedy the situation during the last year and a half, as hundreds or thousands of men and women suffered in ADOC segregation units, and ultimately as 13 people took their own lives. We look forward to addressing the remedy with ADOC as soon as possible.鈥�
In June 2017, U.S. District Judge Myron H. Thompson declared the mental health system in Alabama prisons to be 鈥�horrendously inadequate,鈥� an unconstitutional failure that led to what Thompson called a 鈥渟kyrocketing suicide rate鈥� among incarcerated people. Thompson鈥檚 ruling at that time followed a two-month trial in the聽人兽性交鈥檚 ongoing lawsuit聽against ADOC.聽
In today鈥檚 ruling, Thompson ordered that ADOC and lawyers representing incarcerated people with mental health issues must 鈥� after meeting with each other to reach an agreement 鈥� file a joint report on Feb. 18, detailing how they will grant relief to the plaintiffs.
Also in today鈥檚 ruling, Thompson said, 鈥淭he psychological harms of isolation can affect anyone subjected to segregation, including those who were not previously mentally ill.鈥�
The ruling also stated, 鈥淸I]n light of the significant number of wholly unanticipated suicides in ADOC segregation units, by individuals who were not on the mental-health caseload, defendants鈥� contention that 鈥榯he system works鈥� is astonishing.鈥�
Last week, the 人兽性交 called on the Alabama Legislature and Gov. Kay Ivey to address the crisis in Alabama鈥檚 prison system after a thirteenth聽person committed suicide in a period of 14 months in the state鈥檚 prison system.聽
In his 302-page ruling in 2017, the judge found ADOC to be in violation of the Constitution鈥檚 prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment, a violation of the Eighth Amendment.聽The judge found that 鈥減ersistent and severe shortages鈥� of mental health care staff contributed to the prison system鈥檚 constitutional violations.聽
Today鈥檚 ruling concludes the findings from the original liability opinion.
