Legal News

Study finds disabled inmates discriminated against by Sheriff's Department

By Jason Siegel

A recent study concludes that the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is violating the Americans with Disabilities Act in its treatment of disabled inmates, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The 31-page study, commissioned by the ACLU of Southern California and the Disability Rights Legal Center, included interviews with nearly 70 inmates over several months and alleges that disabled prisoners endure widespread and pervasive violations.

Lawyers at the ACLU and DRLC announced that they were filing a lawsuit today, accompanied by lawyers from Heller Ehrman and Hadsell Stormer.

Sheriff Lee Baca told the L.A. Times that the problems were not easily fixed and commented that the ACLU provides good critiques but no solutions.

The ACLU claims in a press release that the lawsuit was a last resort after months of talks with the Sheriff's Department,  during which they say "attorneys for the inmates proposed a framework for short- and medium-term changes that addressed the worst access barriers, plus a 90-day evaluation of all programs." They say county officials were unwilling to agree to the proposed changes.

Full post as published by Legal Pad | LA on May 29, 2008 (boomark / email).