MIAMI (AP) — A mental health advocacy group is suing the Florida Department of Corrections alleging the agency and its contractors ignored the widespread torture and abuse of mentally ill inmates for years at a Miami prison.
The civil suit filed Tuesday by Disability Rights Florida seeks immediate reforms and investigations into some of the more egregious complaints that it says the agency has ignored for years. The Miami Herald (http://tinyurl.com/ljf84jk) reports the suit alleges that the culture of abuse at Dade Correctional Institution contributed to the deaths of at least two mentally ill inmates within the past two years.
Guards allegedly left Darren Rainey alone in a locked, scalding hot shower as punishment leading to his death in 2012.
The agency said it had not yet seen the lawsuit, but noted recent reforms to improve prison safety by increasing transparency and beefing up investigations.
___
Information from: The Miami Herald, http://www.herald.com
