FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Connease Warren, Abolitionist Law Center, 713-304-8990, connease@alcenter.org

PITTSBURGH – Jerrod Palmer, a formerly incarcerated person with psychiatric disabilities, has filed a lawsuit against Allegheny County and several corrections officers who repeatedly assaulted him while handcuffed at the Allegheny County Jail. Mr. Palmer was a mere two days from being released when the assault occurred. This case is the third excessive force lawsuit for ALC to file this year. The prior two cases, Wilkerson v. Sarver et al., No. 2:25-cv-00919, and Brown v. Veith et al., No. 2:25-cv-01275, similarly involved incarcerated people with psychiatric disabilities who were assaulted by corrections staff at the ACJ. Mr. Palmer is represented by the Abolitionist Law Center and Alec Wright of O’Brien Coleman & Wright, LLC.

On November 14, 2023, Mr. Palmer was assaulted three times while restrained with handcuffs. The first assault occurred on his housing pod. A second assault happened while he was escorted down the hallway and onto the elevator. The third assault occurred immediately after he was put on suicide watch by a medical professional. Officers punched, kicked, and tased him repeatedly causing Mr. Palmer to defecate on himself. He was denied the opportunity to clean himself and denied medical care when officers overrode the healthcare professional’s order to x-ray him. 

“The ruthless assaults on Mr. Palmer exemplifies the brutality meted out by many ACJ officers on people with psychiatric disabilities. Appallingly, supervisory officers have sanctioned this unconstitutional conduct,” said Jaclyn Kurin, staff attorney at the Abolitionist Law Center. “It is our hope that these use of force cases will prevent such cruelty going forward.”

Prior to the assaults, Mr. Palmer was regarded as an exemplary incarcerated person and given a coveted kitchen worker position. Although his psychiatric disabilities, which include bipolar disorder and PTSD, were well-documented in his medical record, none of the defendant officers attempted to de-escalate or implement force avoidance techniques as required by ACJ’s use of force policy and corrections standards.

“While Jerrod Palmer heals from the physical and emotional trauma of his assault by Allegheny County Jail staff, many of his abusers still work at the jail,” said Tanisha Long, organizer at Abolitionist Law Center. “This lawsuit will not bring the changes required to create a safer environment for incarcerated people unless the jail takes significant steps to root out the deeply ingrained culture of violence and abuse.”

Mr. Palmer’s lawsuit is the third of three this year that further exposes the rampant abuse of incarcerated people at ACJ, particularly those with psychiatric disabilities. Assaults against incarcerated people in need of care are commonplace in ACJ, as noted in multiple lawsuits and investigative reports. Along with claims of excessive force, Mr. Palmer is also bringing claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act. He is seeking compensatory relief, punitive damages, and a jury trial. 

The lawsuit, Palmer v Sunday, et. al, 2:25-cv-01773, was filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. The plaintiff is represented by Jaclyn Kurin, Dolly Prabhu, and Bret Grote of Abolitionist Law Center, and Alec Wright of O’Brien, Coleman & Wright.

Read the full complaint.

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