A federal lawsuit alleges that Dauphin County Prison officials subjected inmates to unconstitutional 'near-total deprivation' as retaliation for suspected synthetic marijuana use.
A Pennsylvania jail retaliated against inmates suspected of smoking synthetic marijuana by punishing entire cell blocks — confiscating legal paperwork, withholding necessities like toilet paper, soap and warm clothing, and cutting power and heat, inmates allege in a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday.
Top jail officials waged an escalating, monthlong campaign of collective punishment, imposing “near-total deprivation” and violating the constitutional rights of people incarcerated at Dauphin County Prison, a 1,000-person lockup outside the state capital of Harrisburg, the lawsuit says. “For DCP to launch this campaign of mass torture is abominable. Their actions violate the Constitution and basic human decency,” said Margo Hu, staff attorney for the Abolitionist Law Center, which is representing the plaintiffs. “People in Dauphin County Prison have been advocating against the facility’s depraved conditions for years. It is past time Dauphin County be held responsible for the harm they have been inflicting.”County Commissioner Justin Douglas, who took office after the 2023 jail crackdown, said Tuesday he has been “deeply disturbed” by the allegations since they first surfaced in local media reports several months ago. “I believe it is essential to let this process play out fully. If any inappropriate actions occurred, it is important that there are appropriate consequences,” he said. The abuses described in the lawsuit took place in November and December 2023 in the jail’s restricted housing unit, where inmates are typically held for breaking jail rules and where jail officials believed synthetic drugs were being used. The jail responded by confiscating inmates’ tablet computers, eliminating their access to religious texts, legal mail and other materials, and shutting off communications with anyone outside the jail, the lawsuit say
Jail Abuse Synthetic Drugs Constitutional Rights Collective Punishment Pennsylvania
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