In a state prison, an inmate went without a shower for months because the facilities weren’t wheelchair accessible. That’s just one of the cases outlined in a new report from Disability Rights Mississippi.
“Because he wasn’t provided with a shower chair, he hadn’t been able to take a shower in six months and there’s just something so unspeakably inhumane about that,” said Jane Walton, communications director for DRMS, a private non-profit advocacy group that provides free legal service.
The report alleges cruel and unusual punishment at the hands of the Mississippi Department of Corrections against inmates with disabilities. The report, which was done over the course of 2020, includes photos of mold and sewage leaking into cells.
The report also details cases where inmates weren’t given medication on time and suffered debilitating strokes as a result.
Prior to publishing, the group gave copies to the Governor’s office, congressional representatives, and the state legislature. Walton said while the public has been horrified, she’s been disappointed with the response from state and local officials.
Mississippi Department of Corrections Commissioner Burl Cain hadn’t heard of the report prior to being interviewed but said he hopes prisons will be in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act by July.
“Folks who have disabilities have to be accommodated or they going to be in misery. We don’t want that, it’s a problem,” Cain said. “Everything in the prison system has to work smoothly to have a content prison and a safe prison and reduce violence.”