Santa Clara inmates blast solitary in suit
Two inmates locked up in the Santa Clara County Jail filed a federal class-action lawsuit challenging what they contend is an “inhumane and unconstitutional” use of solitary confinement.
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday against Santa Clara County by the Prison Law Office on behalf of inmates Brian Chavez and Brandon Bracamonte, claims hundreds of men and women are kept for long periods of time in “filthy concrete” solitary confinement cells that can be as tiny as 6 by 7 feet.
These inmates are locked in the cells at the Main Jail in San Jose and the Elmwood Correctional Facility in Milpitas with “very little human contact, sunlight, fresh air, exercise, or environmental stimulation, which violates the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution,” the suit alleged.
“The county is harming people by locking them in harsh conditions of solitary confinement.
“People isolated in tiny jail cells for 22 to 24 hours every day become depressed and suicidal. Those with pre-existing mental illness suffer from worsening symptoms including hallucinations, delusions and paranoia,” said Kelly Knapp, an attorney at the Prison Law Office in Berkeley.
The Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office said that it appreciated the perspective brought by the law office and that it hired a consultant in June to advise them on their jail operations. “The consultant will provide the county with a recommended action plan and provide training to our staff,” said Sgt. James Jensen, a Sheriff’s Office spokesman. “Additionally, we have already taken steps to improve operations in our custody facilities.”
Jensen said the Sheriff’s Office is encouraging the public and the Blue Ribbon Commission on Custody Operations to review the issues highlighted by the Prison Law Office. “We believe that the more eyes on our custody operations, the better,” he said.
Prison Law Office attorneys are calling for the jail to end solitary confinement, release Chavez and Bracamonte from restrictive housing, and create a due process hearing for all inmates placed in such units, they said.
Bracamonte has been in jail since April 2012, when he was arrested on suspicion of carjacking and later indicted on robbery and gang charges. Chavez has been in jail since 2011, when he was busted on narcotics and conspiracy charges, and subsequently indicted on gang charges. Neither inmate has been convicted.
The suit comes after three Santa Clara County correctional officers were charged in September with murder in the death of a mentally ill inmate at the Main Jail in San Jose.