Because people locked up in prisons and jails cannot visit their own doctor or walk to the pharmacy up the street, the government takes on an obligation to provide them with health care while they are incarcerated. But the quality of care is often so poor that it does not meet constitutional standards. The results can be tragic – too often measured in deaths and catastrophic injury.
We fight for decent medical and mental health treatment of incarcerated men and women to make sure their prison sentences do not become death sentences.
Our Priorities
Case
A federal class action lawsuit filed against the Louisiana Department of Corrections and David Wade Correctional Center (DWCC) for subjecting prisoners to cruel, debilitating conditions, including severe punishment for mentally ill and suicidal prisoners. DWCC subjects hundreds of prisoners to “extended lockdown”, which confines an individual to a cell for 23-24 hours per day with little to no human contact. The trauma inflicted by DWCC has created and worsened mental illness and led to numerous attempts at self-harm and suicide.
Source: https://www.macarthurjustice.org/case/tellis-v-leblanc/
Case
Joshua Jurcich, a young man living with mental illness, committed suicide as a result of the abuse and neglect he experienced while held in the St. Clair County Jail at Belleville, Illinois in 2014. St. Clair County Sheriff’s officers held Mr. Jurcich in isolation, physically beat him and mocked his threats of suicide. We represent the estate of Mr. Jurcichi in a lawsuit against St. Clair County Jail.
Source: https://www.macarthurjustice.org/case/corbier-v-watson-et-al/
Case
Two months after Joshua Jurcich had committed suicide by hanging in the St. Clair County Jail, Bradley Scarpi informed a correctional officer that he wanted to kill himself. The officer responded, “whatever, do what you want to do.” Five hours later, Mr. Scarpi was found hanging by a bedsheet. We represent the estate of Mr. Scarpi in a lawsuit against St. Clair County Jail.
Source: https://www.macarthurjustice.org/case/white-v-watson-et-al/
Case
In Missouri, at least 10-15% of the incarcerated population is infected with HCV. However, recent data showed that only 0.11 percent of inmates are actually getting treatment. The MacArthur Justice Center and the ACLU of Missouri jointly filed a federal class action lawsuit challenging the Missouri Department of Corrections’ (MDOC) systematic denial of potential life-saving medication to inmates with chronic Hepatitis C (HCV).
Source: https://www.macarthurjustice.org/case/postawko-et-al-v-missouri-department-of-corrections-et-al/
Case
In an amicus brief in Gaston v. Ghosh, we urge the Seventh Circuit to abandon these special rules and hold private companies accountable when they break the law.
Latest Developments
Class Action Lawsuit (Tellis v. LeBlanc) Filed against Louisiana Prison Subjecting Prisoners to Cruel, Debilitating Conditions, including Severe Punishment for Mentally Ill and Suicidal Prisoners
Lawsuit (Postawko, et. al v. Missouri Department of Corrections) Targeting Missouri Dept. of Corrections’ Neglect of Inmates with Hep C Certified as Class Action P