Prison mental health lawsuit moves forward as class action

A federal judge ruled Friday that a lawsuit filed by the Southern Poverty Law Center against the Alabama Department of Corrections can move forward as a class-action lawsuit.

US District Judge Myron Thompson ruled that the case, which alleges that Alabama prisoners have been denied mental health care, can move forward on behalf of all of Alabama’s prisoners, not just the prisoners named in the original lawsuit.

The suit, which was originally filed in 2014 and is set for trial on Dec. 5, could spell big changes for mental health care in Alabama prisons if Thompson rules in the prisoners’ favor.

“This ruling is very important for all of the people languishing within Alabama’s prisons without the mental health care they need,” said Maria Morris, a senior supervising attorney with the SPLC. “They need help, but many are incapable of standing up for their rights. Prison officials have failed to prevent suicides by prisoners with mental health conditions, they have denied them counseling and simply locked them away.”

Read more: http://www.alreporter.com/prison-mental-health-lawsuit-moves-forward-as-class-action/