Sep 13, 2007 7:37 pm US/Central
Feds Sue Dallas County Over Jail Conditions
DALLAS (AP) ―
Federal prosecutors allege in a lawsuit against Dallas County and Sheriff Lupe Valdez that inmates at the Dallas County Jail are at risk of harm because of unsafe jail conditions and a lack of proper health care.
The U.S. Attorney's Office asked the court to require Dallas County to take actions to correct deficiencies at the jail, among the largest complexes in the country. In a lawsuit filed Wednesday, the federal government contends Dallas County and its sheriff have known about problems at the jail for some time but have failed to address them adequately.
By failing to fix the inadequacies, the rights of the inmates were violated, the suit said.
A message left Thursday afternoon for a sheriff's spokesman was not immediately returned.
A federal report sent to Dallas officials in December said the jail violated the constitutional rights of inmates by failing to provide adequate medical and mental health care.
A separate report from February 2005 found that lapses in medical care in the Dallas County jail system resulted in undetected illnesses, excess costs and risks to the public. That report was produced at the request of then-County Judge Margaret Keliher.
The Texas Commission on Jail Standards warned the county earlier this year to fix jail staffing problems or face possible closure.
Valdez, who was elected more than two years ago, is responsible for the county's five jail facilities.
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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