CHICAGO—(ENEWSPF)—June 11, 2014. Marcus Malewski was forced to stay in the holding areas of Cook County Jail from May 12-16, 2014. For most of that time he was not fed, and had no access to a toilet or a shower. He was not assigned a cell. He did not have a bed to sleep in. Marcus was not alone. He was part of a group of over 50 pre-trial detainees who were herded from holding pen to holding pen, day after day, and only allowed to sleep on the floor for a couple of hours each night in an area of the jail under construction.
To cover up this barbaric treatment guards entered their id cards into the jail computer, assigning them to mythical, non-existent cells.
Today Gregory E. Kulis & Associates, Ltd. & the Uptown Peoples Law Center filed a class action law suit in the United States District Court in Chicago asking for damages for the men subjected to this barbaric treatment.
Complaint: http://www.scribd.com/doc/229215189/Suit-Challenges-Barbaric-Cook-County-Jail-Conditions
The complaint alleges that Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Cook County has a practice of underfunding Cook County Jail to such an extent that there are not enough beds for all the pre-trial detainees entering the jail. The complaint alleges that this practice of underfunding and overcrowding has gone on for decades, without the County either reducing the jail population, or increasing its capacity. The complaint also alleges that Sherriff Thomas Dart and the Jails Chief Executive, Cara Smith, have established practices and policies which allowed these men to be deprived of the basic necessities of life. The case asks for class certification so that all of the men subjected to these conditions can obtain compensation for their injuries.
Greg Kulis, one of the attorneys representing Marcus, stated:
“Marcus was even denied access to a toilet. As a result, he was forced to urinate on himself, and then left to sit in his urine soaked clothing for more than a day before he was finally allowed to take a shower. This sort of treatment should never be allowed in a civilized society.”
Alan Mills, another of Marcus’s attorneys, stated:
“The County and the Sheriff have been aware of these conditions for decades. While the jail has long been overcrowded, what was done to these men—none of whom had been convicted of any crime—is unprecedented, but not surprising. The real problem is that we lock up far too many people. There are thousands of people suffering from mental illness, thousands of low level non-violent drug offenders are sent to Cook County Jail every year. We need to break our addiction to incarceration, or these horrors will continue to happen.”
