Federal Judge Rules Alabama DOC Fails To Protect Inmate Mental Health

On June 27, 2017, a federal judge ruled that the Alabama Department of Corrections (DOC) prisons fail to protect inmate mental health. The state has not provided a constitutionally adequate mental health care system. The judge ordered the state and the plaintiffs’ attorneys to enter mediation to agree on how to correct the DOC mental health system. They must present their recommendations to the court on September 1, 2017. If they are unable to agree on a way to correct the system, another trial would be scheduled to set the remedies.

The lawsuit, Braggs, et al., v. Jefferson Dunn . . .