This from wibc.com: BUNKER HILL, IN — Six inmates placed in solitary at the state prison in Miami County are suing over what they charge are substandard conditions there.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana says past prisoners broke the lone window in the solitary cells, and instead of fixing it, the prison put sheet metal over it. That left them in pitch black all day. Several say they kept running into the toilet in the dark and bruised their legs.
Legal director Ken Falk says while prisons have the right to impose more restrictive conditions for bad behavior, the Supreme Court has said they still have to meet minimum standards for basic necessities of life. He charges the conditions at Miami Correctional Facility border on torture.
The lawsuit claims that prison officials are fully aware of the jail’s poor condition, but have done nothing to repair any safety hazards. Several inmates claim they were shocked when they ran into exposed dangling wires from an unrepaired overhead light.
One prisoner, 50-year-old Gerald Reed, claims to have been injured when a 100-pound light fixture fell and hit him in the head.
Reed is one of six prisoners represented in the lawsuit. The other five prisoners attached to the lawsuit are William Anderson, 34; Charles Lyons, 31; Anthony Parish, 31; Jeremy Blanchard, 41; and Jeffrey Wagner, 37.
Falk contends the prison is violating the 8th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which requires prisons to provide civil, minimum everyday necessities to prisoners.
