Federal appeals court rules Death Row conditions cruel & unusual

[JohnLocke]

Jackson, Mississippi - A federal appeals court ruled that conditions on Mississippi's death row are so bad that they amount to cruel and unusual punishment, with inmates stuck in filthy, hot cells and given inadequate mental health care.
A three-judge panel of the 5th US circuit court of appeals on Monday ordered the state department of corrections to make changes including repairing toilets, adding screen windows and fans and improving mental health care.
The court also directed the state to house inmates with severe mental illnesses separately from others.
The state had argued that no inmate had suffered an illness or physical harm as a result of conditions cited in a lawsuit.
But the appeals panel upheld an earlier ruling by US magistrate Jerry Davis in favour of death row inmate Willie Russell and other prisoners who sued over the conditions at the state penitentiary at Parchman.
http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_1550692,00.html

[eaprez]

1. In Mississippi?

Im sooooo surprised by this.
You're kidding, right?

[Freddie Stubbs]

3. This was a federal court ruling, not a state court ruling

[eaprez]

4. UHHH

....I was being sarcastic. Mississipi is filled with human rights violations. Always has been, always will be.

[olddem43]

2. Mississippi will appeal to the Supreme Court -

and they will reverse the decision on "states rights"

[merh]

5. I am happy about the ruling, I think it was about time...

However, now our rethug gov will begin to privatize and our source the corrections department. It plays right into his plans. He had begun the process, now it will be all down hill from here.

Privatization of services does not work.