ACLU: La. jail humiliates suicidal prisoners, confines them in ’squirrel cages’
By Michael Kunzelman, APThursday, July 8, 2010
La. ACLU: Prisoners confined in ’squirrel cages’
NEW ORLEANS — A civil liberties group says a Louisiana jail humiliates suicidal prisoners by forcing them to wear skimpy shorts that say “Hot Stuff” on the rear and confines them in tiny cells more narrow than a dog’s cage.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana says it is unconstitutional for the St. Tammany Parish jail to confine prisoners in cages that are three feet wide, three feet long and seven feet tall. The ACLU says guards and prisoners refer to them as squirrel cages.
A local code requires dogs to be kept in cages at least six feet wide and six feet deep.
The ACLU also claims suicidal prisoners are forced to wear bright orange “short shorts” with “Hot Stuff” scrawled in pen on the rear.
Local officials did not immediately comment.
