A federal jury awarded a Wisconsin prisoner $295,000 after officials forced him to sleep on a wet, moldy mattress for two months. Reggie Townsend, 29, is serving time for reckless homicide and won the judgment against the New Lisbon Correctional Institution.
Townsend was forced into a 12 X 6 segregation unit and the guards refused to replace the mattress. What is interesting about the verdict is that he did not suffer any direct physical injuries but rather prevailed on the denial of the “minimal civilized measure of life’s necessities.”
Such verdicts are rare since prisons bet on juries being hostile to prisoners who file for damages. These judgments, however, are a vital deterrent since legislators generally show little interest in the conditions for prisoners.
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Yet another example of what happens when you tear that tag off the mattress.
Since this guy was successful in getting damages for the bad conditions in his prison cell, maybe the Gitmo prisoners have a cause of action against Bush and Cheney.
really a strong guy as i cannot sleep in such wierd conditions !!!
This man shot and killed my cousin who was 11 years old.
He should be sleeping on the floor.
Maria Goodwin
This man gets economic compensation for a matress and is unsentive in killing people?
Just stopped by, nice blog!
Annelle:
Do stay a while.
JT
We put people in steel cages like animals because we’re too stupid to do anything else.