Massachusetts Correctional Legal Services

Programs: Mcls d/b/a prisoners' legal services won a preliminary injunction in a medical malpractice/americans with disabilities act case filed on behalf of a quadriplegic prisoner. Additionally, as a result of pls' litigation and collaboration with other ma based disability organizations, the state's forensic hospital was removed from the control of correctional staff and placed in the care of a psychiatric contractor with dramatic results. For example, the use of seclusion and restraints was reduced from over 10,000 hours per month to just over 100 hours per month. Pls had a disabled client with huntington's disease moved to a hospital where he is receiving appropriate care. Pls continues to work in the health area by litigating two class action cases; one on behalf of prisoners who are not receiving life-saving medication for hepatitis c and a case on behalf of state prisoners who are deaf or hard of hearing who are not receiving necessary equipment or interpreter services to allow them to participate in programming. Pls has also been investigating a class action matter on behalf of mentally ill prisoners held in long-term segregation in a county facility. Pls filed two cases alleging excessive force by staff this year. One case involves notoriously brutal correctional officers who have abused prisoners for decades and the other case claims a staff member ordered a prison dog bite on a compliant prisoner on the ground. Pls continues its legislative and policy work in the areas of reform of solitary confinement, compassionate release of incapacitated or dying prisoners and parole reform.