Inhumane Conditions at Jefferson County Jail

by Washington State ACLU

The American Civil Liberties Union filed a class-action lawsuit recently over inhumane conditions for prisoners at the Jefferson County Jail in Port Hadlock, WA. Filed in the US District Court in Tacoma by the ACLU of Washington and the ACLU's National Prison Project, the suit seeks an injunction against the unconstitutional treatment of inmates at the jail.

"Conditions at the jail are so substandard that they constitute cruel and unusual punishment," said Washington ACLU Legal Program Director Julya Hampton.

The jail is deficient in these areas, among others:

Plumbing: Capacity is insufficient to handle the number of prisoners, leading to overflowing toilets and lack of access to showers. Drains in the floor of the housing area have backed up with overflowing sewage. Strong sewage odors permeate areas of the jail, particularly in summer.

Hygiene: Basic hygiene supplies are lacking and laundry is frequently not done for weeks.

Climate Control: It is often extremely cold in winter and hot in the summer. In some cells, prisoners can see their breath in the winter. The jail does not provide adequate blankets or cold-weather clothing.

Medical Care: Prisoners requesting medical help are often not seen by the visiting nurse, who comes only once a week. During the rest of the week, untrained jail staff make medical decisions, frequently denying medication to prisoners and threatening to withhold it. Prisoners with prescriptions are placed on lower dosages or different drugs at the discretion of untrained staff. As a result, inmates have suffered seizures and other serious medical problems that could have been avoided.

Access to Courts: The jail does not provide access to a law library, and legal mail is improperly handled. Jail staff often block access even to assigned counsel by, among other things, not permitting sufficient telephone access and failing to transport prisoners to court proceedings.

Access to Reading Materials: By jail policy, inmates are not permitted to receive subscriptions to newspapers or magazines, and are not permitted to order books.

Staffing: Inadequate staffing creates dangerous conditions, especially since the jail is overcrowded. Although the inmate population often has exceeded 60, there is usually only one corrections officer on duty.

In the 1990s, the ACLU successfully litigated over substandard conditions at the King County Jail, Pierce County Jail, and Washington Corrections Center for Women at Purdy. For more information, contact: ACLU of Washington at 624-2184.