Cruel and unusual: Madison County MT sued over jail conditions, treatment

[Ediacara]

Cruel and unusual: Madison County sued over jail conditions, treatment

By NICK GEVOCK Chronicle Staff Writer

Three people have sued Madison County for cruel and unusual punishment they allegedly suffered while being held in the basement jail at the County Courthouse.

Stephanie Singleton, her sister Lauretta Hubner and husband Jerry Singleton claim in a lawsuit filed last week in Madison County District Court that the jail was filthy, cold and run down.

They also claim the jail officers blatantly mistreated them by denying basics such as proper bedding, showers and tampons for the two women, who were menstruating at the time.

"They're supposed to have feminine hygiene products provided to them, and they had some in their coats and the jailers wouldn't give it to them," Terry Schaplow, a Bozeman attorney representing the plaintiffs, said in an interview Friday. "It wasn't until they bled through their uniforms that the jailers finally got them out of their coats and threw them in the cell."

More at the Bozeman Chronicle