Tutwiler and Staton Prisons

Dormitory I at Julia Tutwiler Prison Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2013, in Elmore County near Wetumpka, Ala. (Julie Bennett/jbennett@al.com)

The Southern Poverty Law Center is suing Alabama, arguing prisoners go for months, even years, without proper medical care. "Numerous prisoners have died from a failure to treat medical conditions from cancer to diabetes to hepatitis."

Others lost the use of limbs as a result of inadequate medical care. Some lost vision. Alabama prisons, the lawsuit argues, offer little mental health care beyond pills. Those who don't take their pills can be beaten or placed in isolation. Disabled prisoners are not given access to accommodations, and are punished because of what they cannot do.

"The defendants operate the most overcrowded prisons in the nation and spend among the lowest amount on medical care per prisoner of any state in the nation," argues today's suit against the Alabama Department of Corrections.

Here's a brief survey of the claims of nine of the 39 incarcerated plaintiffs behind today's 120-page lawsuit:

1. Chandler Clements, an inmate at Staton, has difficulty breathing. He "was persuaded" to sign a 'Do Not Resuscitate' order to avoid being placed on life support. "After he signed the DNR, he was denied breathing treatments and medications because of the DNR."

2. Christopher Jackson has been in prison since 2006. "He has been in segregation since 2007." He is not receiving treatment for mental illness.

3. Hubert Tollar has been in state custody since 1977. "In response to an outbreak of tuberculosis at St. Clair in January and February of 2014, plaintiff Tollar was given a chest x-ray. There was a spot on his lung." The suit argues he then had a CT scan in March, was told he had cancer and would be sent for a biopsy the next day. "As of May 28, 2014, plaintiff Tollar had not been sent out for a biopsy of the cancerous spot on his lung."

4. Rick Martin, in an Alabama prison since 1998, has a long history of heart problems and had a stent inserted in 2010. In 2012, he received a new stent, but "was not given necessary blood thinners afterward, resulting in his requiring emergency open-heart surgery because his un-thinned blood quickly clogged the stent."

5. Bradley Pearson, an inmate since 2013, was excluded from work release because he is deaf.

6. Augustus Smith was imprisoned in 2007 and was provided a catheter and a colostomy bag in anticipation of surgery to address an infection in his groin area. He is still waiting for the surgery. His suffers frequent infections and hospitalizations.

7. Willie McClendon, incarcerated since 2007 and currently at Limestone County, developed an infection in a testicle. Unfortunately, the condition was discovered on a Saturday when no doctor was on duty. He was sent back to the dorm with an icepack. He saw a doctor on Monday and was taken to the hospital. But it was too late. The condition had "turned gangrenous, and resulted in his losing the testicle."

8. Brian Sellers has been in state custody since 2001 and is currently at St. Clair. He suffers from hepatitis C, high blood pressure and heart disease. "Sellers was taken off his blood pressure medicine, resulting in a heart attack."

9. Daletrick Hardy has been in prison since 2002, bouncing between several state facilities. Hardy is mentally ill with a history of suicide attempts. He was taken off medication two years ago. The suit claims he was not told why. "He is not receiving any mental health treatment and has been in segregation at St. Clair since May 2012."

The suit argues "almost none" of the facilities meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The suit argues that the Alabama Department of Corrections is deliberately indifferent to harm resulting from inadequate medical care.

The suit is packed with wider allegations. Infections allowed to turn gangrenous. Diabetic conditions left to result in amputations. Prisoners forced to swap mattresses during a scabies outbreak. Prisoners allowed to mingle between dorms during a tuberculosis outbreak. Plumbing problems. Rats. Sewage backing up into dorms in Kilby and St. Clair.

They argue diabetics are not given snacks when needed, but rather at a set time. They argue hepatitis C goes untreated. They argue the only remedy for a cavity is pulling the rotten tooth, and that those teeth are not replaced.

The Southern Poverty Law Center, working with the Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program, seeks class action status for all affected prisoners. They argue for increased medical staffing, better access, better screening and quicker responses. They also ask the federal court to require more mental health care and accommodations for disabled inmates.

State response

State officials last week responded to initial reports of these allegations by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

"The Alabama Department of Corrections is proud of the health care we provide to inmates, health care which costs Alabamians millions of dollars each year and is better than health care given to most uninsured Alabamians," replied Kim Thomas in a lengthy statement emailed to media outlets last week.

Some of the complaints were included the Center's initial public report, "Cruel Confinement." Prison officials said the medical stories were incomplete and that the Southern Poverty Law Center wouldn't help the state track down individual details.

"We certainly will work with any organization," Gov. Robert Bentley told AL.com reporters last week. "If they find problems, we want to know it. We really do. We want to resolve these issues."