Sunday, January 9, 2011

ACLU wants prisoner with MD moved from inhumane conditions in Louisiana

From The Associated Press:

NEW IBERIA, La. -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana claims the Iberia Parish jail is holding a prisoner with muscular dystrophy in inhumane conditions.

In a letter Jan. 7 to the Iberia Parish Sheriff's Office, the ACLU says 31-year-old Reginald Peters has been sleeping on a cell floor for weeks because he can't get himself into bed and can't clean himself or use the toilet without assistance.

The ACLU is calling on the sheriff's office to transfer Peters to a prison that can provide better medical care.

Steve Elledge, an attorney for the sheriff's office, says Peters is getting adequate care.

Peters is being held on an alleged parole violation. Elledge said Peters couldn't be transferred to Elayn Hunt Correctional Center because his criminal case hasn't been resolved.