This week, Disability Rights Louisiana’s legal team began the remedy phase of a lawsuit against Louisiana’s Department of Public Safety and Corrections over conditions at David Wade Correctional Center (DWCC), a state prison in North Louisiana.
The remedy phase of the case began on Tuesday in front of Western District of Louisiana Judge Elizabeth Foote, following her ruling in November of 2022 that DWCC’s lack of mental healthcare and use of solitary confinement violated the 8th amendment of the constitution–which prohibits cruel and unusual punishment, along with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). In her ruling, Judge Foote wrote that, “DWCC utilizes extended lockdown as a depository for the mentally ill. And the conditions, as detailed above, only cause those inmates even more pain and suffering, including the worsening of their mental illness.”
The trial is scheduled to last several weeks, and will assess whether conditions have improved and which steps need to be taken to bring the prison to constitutional standards.
Attorneys from Disability Rights Louisiana representing people incarcerated at David Wade, Assistant Legal Director Melanie Bray and Litigation Director Dalton Courson, maintain that the conditions and treatment provided are still extremely harsh and unconstitutional.
An article posted on The Lens’s website on January 13th explains:
“…Lawyers for the plaintiffs also noted that there had been two completed suicides at David Wade since the first phase of the trial. ‘Based on this information alone, the effectiveness of the suicide prevention program at DWCC is questionable,’ they wrote.
According to filings, as of June of last year there were 143 prisoners at David Wade who had been in solitary confinement for more than 30 days, including 37 who had been there for over a year, and 11 who had been there for over two years.
Lawyers with Disability Rights Louisiana have asked that an independent monitor be appointed to oversee implementation of any corrective actions ordered by the court following the trial.”
For inquiries or follow up information, please contact Kevin Hurstell at khurstell@disabillityrightsla.org.
