Home : Prisoners' Rights : Mental Health Care

ACLU Lawsuit Against Michigan Department of Corrections Resumes Today (04/28/2008)
KALAMAZOO, MI - The American Civil Liberties Union is arguing today in a Michigan federal court that Michigan Department of Corrections officials must provide necessary mental health care services to newly-admitted and other prisoners.

ACLU Urges Court to Fine Virgin Islands Officials for Indefinitely Detaining Innocent Mentally Ill Inmates (11/30/2007)
ST. THOMAS, VI –The American Civil Liberties Union today is urging a federal judge to fine top government officials in the Virgin Islands for not complying with court orders to transfer inmates with mental illness to a psychiatric hospital. The inmates have been found not guilty by reason of insanity, and have been imprisoned for years without any criminal charges or access to appropriate mental health care.

ACLU of New Mexico Sues for Better Safety and Services in Juvenile Justice Facilities (11/19/2007)
ALBUQUERQUE – The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Mexico sued the New Mexico Children Youth and Families Department (CYFD) today for failing to ensure safe living conditions and essential rehabilitation services for young people in state juvenile justice facilities. The lawsuit charges CYFD with breaching the terms of a contract it signed with the ACLU in February 2006 requiring the agency to establish minimally adequate mental health services and protect youth from physical assaults and threats of violence. CYFD entered into the 2006 agreement in order to avoid being sued for rights violations at that time, said the ACLU.

Civil Rights Groups Sue Doña Ana County Jail over Poor Mental Health Services (11/07/2007)
LAS CRUCES, NM—Civil rights groups sued the Dona Ana County Detention Center today for failure to provide adequate mental health services to inmates in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act and constitutional prohibitions on “cruel and unusual punishment.” The class action suit charges county officials with “deliberate indifference to [inmates’] serious mental health needs,” including failure to provide adequate mental health screening, monitoring, and care. On behalf of plaintiffs, Protection and Advocacy System, Inc. (P&A), the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Mexico, and private attorneys Michael Lilley of Las Cruces and Peter Cubra and Lisa Schatz-Vance of Albuquerque seek an effective program for mental health screening and treatment for all detainees and policy changes prohibiting the unnecessary incarceration of people with mental illness.

Solitary Confinement Called "Inappropriate" for Mentally Ill Prisoners in Indiana (01/30/2007)
INDIANAPOLIS-The American Civil Liberties Union National Prison Project and the ACLU of Indiana announced today that, as a result of a lawsuit filed by the ACLU, the Indiana Department of Correction has agreed to move all mentally ill prisoners out of the Secured Housing Unit (SHU), a "Supermax" unit where prisoners are forced to live in extreme isolation and sensory deprivation for months or even years.

Hadix v. Caruso - Opposition to Termination of Mental Health Decree (12/18/2007)

Carty Mental Health Report by Jeffrey Metzner, MD (10/01/2007)

Carty Contempt Decision (02/01/2007)

Mast v. Donahue Settlement Agreement (01/30/2007)
Mast v. Donahue Settlement Agreement

Hadix v. Caruso - Order and Preliminary Injunction (11/13/2006)

Health Care at Ely State Prison (03/06/2008)
ACLU Lawsuit Charges Grossly Inadequate Medical Care At State Prison In Nevada