ACLU Files Lawsuit Against State Over Youth Prison

[Judi Lynn]

ACLU Files Lawsuit Against State Over Youth Prison
ACLU Wants Court To Appoint Monitor To Oversee Operations

POSTED: 4:52 pm HST October 24, 2005
UPDATED: 5:35 pm HST October 24, 2005

HONOLULU -- The ACLU Monday filed a civil rights class action lawsuit against the state, alleging "brutal conditions" at the state's youth prison in Kailua.

A federal report just released at the end of the summer said the youth prison was in a "state of chaos." The ACLU said Gov. Linda Lingle's administration has failed to improve decades worth of bad conditions there.

The ALCU said boy and girl inmates at the youth correctional facility are routinely subjected to "inhumane conditions" and abusive discipline. They also are not given proper access to education or programs, the ACLU said.

"(The Hawaii Youth Corrections Facility) operates in a climate that violates these kids' constitutional rights. The state's been on notice of this for over two years, and they haven't done enough to correct the problems out there," ACLU Hawaii Legal Director Lois Perrin said.

The ACLU issued a scathing report in August 2003. A U.S. Justice Department report released in August 2005 detailed numerous problems, including a lack of up-to-date policies, procedures or training for staff. The feds criticized staff policies from the 1980s that were "outdated" and "intended for an adult institution."
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http://www.thehawaiichannel.com/news/5165843/detail.html

[Doremus]

1. Kick! n/t