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BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — The Latest on a lawsuit over conditions at a Louisiana prison (all times local):
1:10 p.m.
A spokesman for Louisiana's corrections department disputes the allegations in a lawsuit that claims a prison brutally punishes suicidal and mentally ill inmates.
The spokesman, Ken Pastorick, says the federal suit's claims are "baseless" and "outlandish." He added that prison officials "look forward to our day in court."
The class action, filed Tuesday, asks the court to rule that prison officials are subjecting inmates at David Wade Correctional Center in Homer to unconstitutional "cruel and unusual punishment."
The suit claims inmates at the north Louisiana prison are isolated for months or even years, chained to chairs and exposed to extreme cold. It also says prisoners who ask for mental health care instead are placed on suicide watch and held in solitary confinement for weeks.
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11:30 a.m.
A federal lawsuit claims a Louisiana prison brutally punishes suicidal and mentally ill inmates by isolating them for months or even years, chaining them to chairs and exposing them to extreme cold.
The class action, filed Tuesday, asks the court to rule that prison officials are subjecting inmates at David Wade Correctional Center in Homer to unconstitutional "cruel and unusual punishment."
The suit says prisoners who ask for mental health care instead are placed on suicide watch and held in solitary confinement for weeks. It claims some prisoners have cut themselves or attempted suicide to escape the "extreme" conditions.
Attorneys from the Advocacy Center and MacArthur Justice Center filed the suit.
A spokesman for the corrections department didn't immediately respond to an email and phone call seeking comment.
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