Should You Hire A Prison Consultant?
The New York Civil Liberties Union has brought a federal lawsuit alleging that two Suffolk County jails were housing inmates in “decrepit conditions” that constitute cruel and unusual punishment, in violation of the inmate’s eighth amendment constitutional rights.
The conditions were brought to the attention of the NYCLU by the federal court in Central Islip. The court had been deluged by individual lawsuits and petitions from inmates serving as their own attorneys. This suit consolidates the individual claims.
The suit alleges that inmates were forced to live in squalor, contending with mold on the walls, raw sewage overflowing drains and toilets, and brown tap water. It also claims that rats run rampant in the jails.
The suit also claims that inmate complaints were either ignored or resulted in intimidation or threats by jail employees.
As a result of the conditions at the jails, inmates have complained of rashes, fungal infections, breathing problems, and nausea.
The jails are located in Riverhead and Yaphank.
We recently wrote about the problems at the Nassau County Correctional Facility, and now Suffolk County must contend with its own issues .
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