Update: Lawsuit Alleges Incidents Of Abuse, Lack Of Action At SCI
Two men have filed a federal lawsuit against Sussex Correctional Institution, alleging incidents of violent abuse by Department of Correction employees and a lack of action taken by leadership at SCI.
The lawsuit filed by William Davis and Isaac Montague alleges that several SCI officers attack Montague, ‘completely unprovoked’ in September of this year. The case, according to the legal firm Whiteford Taylor and Preston LLC and the ACLU of Delaware, states that Montague was placed in solidary confinement without adequate medical care for three weeks after the incident – which, the complaint says, was videotaped by officers who watched.
Davis says he was beaten, and that officers ‘blasted pepper spray into his nostril.’
One officer is accused in the case of initiating both attacks.
To read the full complaint, please CLICK HERE
To read the case page, please CLICK HERE
“No person deserves to be the subject of such a brutal attack at the hands of our government,” Whiteford, Taylor, and Preston, LLC partner Daniel Griffith said. “Corrections officers are entrusted with providing safety and care for incarcerated people, and these officers not only failed, but significantly harmed the lives of those they were supposed to protect.”
“People who are incarcerated are under the care of the Department of Correction,” ACLU of Delaware legal director Susan Burke, ACLU of Delaware legal director. “DOC is directly responsible for any harm that comes to these individuals at the hands of people on their payroll. This is about basic safety and human dignity — SCI must do better.”
The Department of Correction provided a statement to WGMD News;
The Department of Correction learned of the lawsuits over the weekend through the news media and we are reviewing them at this time. This is now a matter before the courts and we will respond to the allegations through the legal system.
