News & Press
DRNY Files Landmark HALT Violations Case Excessive Force, Physical Abuse and Neglect in Jefferson County Jail
Albany, NY April 2, 2024 -On January 17, 2024, Disability Rights New York filed a complaint against the County of Jefferson, Jefferson County Correctional Facility (JCCF), Sheriff Peter R. Barnett, in his official capacity, Sgt. Larkins, in his official and individual capacity, C.O. Carranza, in his official and individual capacity, C.O. Barker, in their official and individual capacity, C.O. Brownell, in her official and individual capacity, C.O. O’Brien, in her official and individual capacity, independent contractors of JCCF, in their official and individual capacities, PrimeCare Medical Inc., and PrimeCare Medical of New York, Inc.
Correctional facilities are charged with ensuring the safety and well-being of the people who are incarcerated. However, in Jefferson County, the exact opposite is happening. The defendants not only failed in their duty of care for our client, a person with physical and mental health disabilities, they inflicted physical and emotional abuse upon them. The abuse exacerbated her pre-existing conditions and violated her rights under the U.S. and State Constitution and Federal, State, and Local Law.
“Jane Doe was physically abused, emotionally terrorized, and intentionally humiliated by officers at the Jefferson County Jail”, said Timothy A. Clune, Esq., Executive Director DRNY. “Her desperate cries for help were then met with illegal solitary confinement.”
This case marks the first federal lawsuit filed against a New York State jail system alleging violation of the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement Act (HALT). Click here for the full text of HALT Solitary Confinement Act (A.2500 / S.1623). HALT was signed into law on March 31, 2021, and it went into full effect on March 31, 2022.