The American Civil Liberties Union's Nebraska chapter followed through with statement they made earlier this year and filed a lawsuit against the Nebraska prison system on Wednesday.
The ACLU says Nebraska prisons have not taken significant steps to improve what they say are 'inhumane conditions' including overcrowding, excessive use of solitary confinement, and gross negligence of inmates' medical and mental health issues.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of eleven prisoners, but the ACLU seeks to represent every man and woman behind bars in Nebraska prisons. Some of the inmates listed in the suit are Rolland Jones who died of a heart attack while incarcerated. The lawsuit claims that Jones complained for weeks about chest pains and dizziness, but his complaint was not addressed. In another case, the ACLU says that inmate Michael Gunther lost his vision due to mismanagement by staff of his diabetes and then had Braille blocks confiscated from him.
The suit names the Nebraska Department of Corrections, Director Scott Frakes and other prison officials as defendants.
The ACLU is asking for an increase in staffing, improved housing policies and an overhaul of procedures for prisoner medical, dental and mental health treatment.
Governor Pete Ricketts responded to the lawsuit in a statement Wednesday afternoon.
“Over the past few years, all three branches of state government have made justice reinvestment and Corrections reform a top priority. Together, we have invested millions of taxpayer dollars to protect public safety and expand state prisons. This litigation from the ACLU threatens public safety by seeking the early release of dangerous criminals and could endanger our Corrections officers by further limiting the tools they have to manage the inmate population.”