TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Kate Prince on Jun 9, 2020

The American Civil Liberties Union is considering a second lawsuit against the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office over COVID-19-related health conditions at the Shelby County Jail, the Daily Memphian reports. A demand letter from the ACLU and a wide range of organizations and attorney was sent to Sheriff Floyd Bonner on Monday, alleging unsanitary conditions and inadequate preventative measures are jeopardizing the health of detainees in the jail. The letter claims detainees have limited access to drinking water, are given utensils and cups that are not cleaned and have “vomit and feces on the clothing, bedding and towels.” The letter gives the sheriff until 2 p.m. on Thursday to agree to remedy 15 alleged deficiencies, ranging from inadequate testing to a lack of hand sanitizer and soap. The ACLU filed a federal class action suit against the Sheriff’s Office last month that seeks habeas corpus hearings to obtain the release of medically vulnerable detainees. As many as 70 sheriff’s employees and 160 detainees have tested positive for COVID-19.