Tuesday, April 19, 2011

A Policy That Violates Civil Rights

A mentally ill man incarcerated at a CCA facility in Tennessee went up to nine months without being bathed or having his cell cleaned, living in squalid conditions in a solitary confinement cell. He mentally decompensated to the point where he could only speak gibberish, and lived in filth as CCA staff refused to provide him with even the most basic care.

The abuse he suffered was so severe that an appeals court recently handed down a decision permitting his mother to sue CCA. In its opinion, the court held "that there was enough evidence to suggest CCA had a policy or custom that violated Horton’s civil rights." Meaning this wasn't an isolated incident; CCA routinely violated Mr. Horton's rights, and I'm sure the rights of many others unlucky enough to be housed in their facilities

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