A federal judge gave final approval Monday to a settlement agreement to resolve a lawsuit accusing the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department of failing to accommodate disabled inmates, particularly those mobility issues.
Settlement of the lawsuit in Los Angeles has resulted in changes in the jail system, including the construction of wheelchair accessible toilets in the Inmate Reception Center, new housing for inmates with disabilities in the Twin Towers Correctional Facility which nearly doubles its capacity to accommodate inmates with mobility impairments, and a new system to deliver working wheelchairs to inmates, according to the Disability Rights Legal Center, which filed the case along with the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California.
The county has also agreed to provide equal access to employment, educational and vocational programs, offer physical therapy in the jail, appoint an Americans with Disabilities Act coordinator to address complaints from inmates or family members, and create a new complaint system that will allow secondary review of wheelchair accommodations, the DRLC said.
The lawsuit, filed in 2008, alleged that the jails are not wheelchair- accessible and that inmates are denied mobility devices such as wheelchairs, crutches, walkers or canes.
It also alleged that inmates with mobility impairments suffer discrimination because they are denied access to jail programs and services, including those that may reduce time served.
The inmates’ cells are not accessible to wheelchairs and men have fallen because there are no grab bars to help transfer them to the toilet, and some of them are denied equal access to shower facilities, the suit contended.
Final approval was given by U.S. District Judge Dean D. Pregerson as named plaintiff Peter Johnson looked on.
“This settlement is a huge step in the right direction towards ensuring that inmates with mobility disabilities receive basic accommodations, but it is just the beginning,” said Jessica Price, staff attorney for the ACLU/SC.
“Now, inmates, their family members, the Office of the Inspector General, and the lawyers must be vigilant to ensure these important protections are enforced.”
— City News Service