Nonprofit files lawsuit seeks to end 'abuse' of mentally ill inmates at Somers 'supermax' prison
Journal InquirerFeb 04, 2021
Feb. 4—The organization charged with protecting the rights of disabled people in
The lawsuit, filed by
Supermax prisons like Northern are used primarily for solitary confinement of prisoners who have caused disruptions at other prisoners or are members of gangs.
The suit focuses particularly on in-cell shackling of prisoners, in which the inmate's wrists and legs are locked in metal cuffs, then held together with "a heavy metal tether chain."
"Prisoners are routinely left shackled and chained for 24 hours, and sometimes for days at a time, far longer than justified by any genuine threat to safety or security," the lawsuit alleges, adding that they are served food in foam-plastic cups, without utensils.
"Many prisoners are unable to even lift a cup to their mouth because of the shortness of the tether chain; in these instances, the only way for them to consume the contents of the cup is to dump it out on the bed or floor and eat like a dog," the suit says. It adds that the chains are sometimes so short that prisoners are unable to wipe themselves after using the toilet.
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