Indiana Prisoner’s Class Action Takes Issue with Alleged Overcrowding of Gibson County Jail

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Gibson County, Indiana and its sheriff’s office are on the receiving end of a proposed class action that alleges they maintain an overcrowded prison that denies inmates basic human needs and essentially subjects them to cruel and unusual punishment.

According to the case, an Indiana Department of Correction jail inspector in July 2018 deemed the county’s prison “chronically overcrowded” to such an extent that not every inmate had a bed. One such inmate is the plaintiff, who claims he’s been confined with 16 other prisoners in a cell block that was made to hold just 12 people. Consequently, some cellmates allegedly have no choice but to sleep on the ground and eat meals “on the floor, on trashcans, or even on the toilet in the common area.”

Further, the suit, which was filed in conjunction with the ACLU of Indiana, argues the lack of space causes tension between inmates, which in turn results in safety issues that the prison is not equipped to handle. The overcrowding makes it “difficult, if not impossible” to separate inmates into different groups “based upon their propensity for violence or predatory behavior” pursuant to protocol, the suit explains. From the complaint:

“Classification is essential to protect the safety of both prisoners and staff. For example, prisoners with mental and physical disabilities should be separated from those without those disabilities, prisoners who are prone to be preyed upon should be separated from predators, prisoners who have previous problems with each other should be separated, etc.”

To make matters worse, the case continues, the jail is supposedly understaffed and unable to adequately monitor prisoners’ safety and behavior. As a result of insufficient supervision and aggravation triggered by the jail’s conditions, the suit claims, assaults between inmates happen often.

The suit notes that “[t]he only grievance opportunity offered by the Jail are complaint forms that are collected by jail staff,” and adds that inmates never receive responses following their submissions.