Bristol County Sheriff Sued By Mentally Ill Prisoners

Outspoken Bristol County Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson faces a lawsuit from mentally ill prisoners at Bristol County Jail who say they were harmed by their time in solitary confinement.

Prisoners Legal Services and the Mental Health Legal Advisors Group, both of Boston, filed the lawsuit in Bristol County Superior Court on behalf of three prisoners last week. The 23-page complaint alleges that the plaintiffs were held in solitary confinement and placed in tiny cells while in custody of the Bristol County Sheriff's office.

Excluding showering, inmates in segregation units spend all but five hours a week in their cells, according to the lawsuit.

"It is well-known that exposing prisoners with serious mental disorders to segregation for more than a brief period of time places them at significant risk of serious harm. They experience mental deterioration and an aggravation of symptoms," the complaint alleges.

The Bristol County jail had four suicides in 2016, two of which were by inmates in segregation, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit calls on the sheriff's office to end the practice of placing prisoners with serious mental illness in segregation and ensure that the plaintiffs receive mental health care. An independent mental health professional to ensure compliance was also requested.

In a statement to reporters, Hodgson denied the allegations and said the lawsuit was "riddled with inaccuracies, misconceptions, and out-and-out lies.”

Click here to read the full lawsuit.

Image Credit: AP Photo/Charles Krupa)