www.usdoj.gov/crt/split/documents/
However, the folks at the jail obviously didn't think the document's recommendations were worth bothering with, even though it contained a clear warning that a lawsuit would follow if things didn't change.
They didn't, hence the lawsuit filed in September 2007 by the US Attorney General's office. It described the defendants, ie the Dallas County Sheriff's Office, as acting with "deliberate indifference".
I incorporated the phrase into this blog's name for this reason.
1 comment:
The Dallas County Sheriff,District Attorney's Office,County Commissioners and Texas Commission On Jail Standards all are guilty in varying degrees of deliberate inddifference to the constitutional rights of all individuals ever taken to the county jail, as a result of their knowing acquiescence into and failure to act in a responsible and reasonable manner to prevent the continued existence of jail conditions and unconstitutional/criminal behavior of their subordinates which, themselves were and still are today so injurious to jail detainees and staff that they amount to egregious constitutional violations. While at the Dallas County jail on fabricated charges (5 of 6 which have since been dismissed) I witnessed some of the most barbaric and unimaginable conditions and treatment of prisoners both young and old. In an attempt to bring about changes I filed numerous administartive grievances,to no avail, and eventually I filed several federal civil right lawsuits, only to have Sheriff Valdez and staff retaliate against me(with the knowledge and tactic approval of County Judges Keliher and Foster, all the County Commissioners whom I personally wrote letters to on several occassions detaling what was going on at the jail).
There are hundreds of lawsuits currently pending against Dallas County and Sheriff Valdez in both state and federal courts, and just the cost of fighting these lawsuits, not the potential settlements,is costing the people of Dallas, Texas millions.
Its a bad situation in Dallas and it will more than litigation to correect it, what is needed is some honorable leaders who aren't the usual political coward who are mortally afraid of their political careers crumbling upon the slightest public perception of being weak on crime/criminals.
___________________________________
http://www.angelfire.com/crazy4/texas/jail.html
http://www.angelfire.com/crazy4/texas/classaction.html
___________________________________
CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT
Re: Request for Class-Action Certification
Lakeith Amir-Sharif v. Dallas County Texas et al
Case No. 3:06-CV-0143-K
April 19, 2006
Enclosed please find a draft of the actual Unsworn Declaration I am filing as an attachment exhibit in support of my motion for Class Action Certification in Case No. 3:06-CV0147-K.
Among all that's going on at the jail,we pre-trial detainees are seeking class action certification against Dallas County, Texas, Sheriff Lupe Valdez, County Commissioner Kenneth Mayfield and Parkland Memorial Hospital officials for the suffering we are being subjected to here.
PS: I just received legal mail back from the jail's mailroom which involved a letter and motion to the federal court that I handed in 14 days ago. No reason as usual was given why this legal mail was never processed and mailed out. These corrupt jail officials are knowingly obstructing my access to the court with these sort of actions.
UNSWORN DECLARATION
___________________
We / I, the undersigned person(s) being presently incarcerated in the Dallas County Texas jail in Dallas County Texas, hereby declare under penalty of perjury that the following statement is true and correct, based on my own personal knowledge and made of my own free will.
The overall conditions at this jail are filthy, inhumane, unlawful and unconstitutional. The jail is overcrowded and we are being deprived of basic human rights and needs such as, but not limited to, access to adequate medical and mental health care; proper ventilation and recirculation of uncontaminated air; access and exposure to sunlight; clean drinking water; nutritious and properly prepared food; clean clothing and bedding; supplies to properly clean and disinfect our housing area; enough soap and toilet paper to practice basic hygiene; law library in order to utilize our right to due process; and freedom from known and unreasonably hazardous living conditions.
These conditions of confinement have an adverse effect on my general health and well being.
I am aware of the allegations made in the above referenced lawsuit concerning the overall unconstitutional conditions of confinement at the jail. I would like to be added as a plaintiff in this lawsuit. I ask that the court hearing this case grant us class-action certification to prevent the wide-spread and persistent violations of my and other persons human and constitutional rights.
See: The U.S. Department of Justice Investigative Report on the conditions at the Dallas County Jail, plus other related articles about the jail's barbaric conditions:
http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/split/documents/dallas_county_findlet_12-8-06.pdf
http://www.dallasobserver.com/2006-12-14/news/fed-up-feds
http://www.prisonlegalnews.org/Members/issues/pln_2006/01pln06.pdf
http://www.drugnewswire.com/13375/
http://www.texasjailproject.org/actions/speaking_to_the_dallas_county_commissioners
EXECUTED ON NAME OF COMPLAINANT JAIL NUMBER
March 13 2006 Stephen Jolly 060 119 90
March 13 2006 Michael W. McLeroy 060 125 46
March 13 2006 Vincent S. Workman 060 185 56
March 13 2006 Michael F. Poore 060 082 70
March 13 2006 Weldon L. Cleaver 060 148 69
March 13 2006 James C. Bryant 060 083 81
March 13 2006 Peter Granados 060 182 94
March 13 2006 Craig Smart 060 129 32
March 13 2006 Ricky Scheynayder 060 124 37
March 13 2006 Roy Trease-Sutton 060 072 96
March 13 2006 Warren M. Goodmanor 050 474 94
March 13 2006 John P. Luczynski 060 209 58
March 13 2006 Mark G. Akin 060 197 75
March 13 2006 Tedrick Goss 060 203 16
March 14 2006 Joseph Hill 060 026 90
March 14 2006 Stacy Eason 050 654 05
March 14 2005 Edosa Omoruyi 060 085 79
March 14 2005 Michael Stewart 050 686 93
March 14 2005 Anthony Ford 051 036 36
March 14 2005 Ronald E. Crawford 060 173 76
March 14 2005 Dante Ray Faison 050 196 89
March 14 2005 Elton Johnson 050 897 69
March 14 2005 Cedric Wilson 050 798 23
Michael Edwards 060 208 62
March 15 2006 Walter C. Velvet III 060 092 69
March 16 2005 Latrail White 060 197 31
March 16 2005 Derrick Claiborne 060 042 37
March 18 2005 Christopher Bell 050 844 41
LA Keovong SA 050 920 95
Michael Paul Taylor 060 190 69
Tyrone Rushing 060 134 77
Martin Zepedo 060 217 16
George Lazare 060 160 92
John H. Martin 060 009 73
Jimmy D. Bailey 050 610 25
Dameon Green 060 199 70
Jesse Gonzales 060 225 23
Marcus Ervin 060 180 66
Steven Moxley 060 197 70
Steve E. Madden 060 223 68
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