Little v. Dauphin County
On December 17, 2024, people who were incarcerated in Dauphin County Prison (DCP) filed a class action lawsuit after the warden cut the power and shut off the heat for dozens of men being held in solitary confinement in November and December 2023. Prior to this act of collective punishment, officials confiscated legal paperwork, cut off communication with loved ones on the outside, and deprived people of basic necessities, including toilet paper, showers, and religious texts. Their actions violate the Constitution and basic human decency.
For years, DCP has had a widespread and well-earned reputation as a troubled prison facility. However, the circumstances detailed in this lawsuit eclipse even the most atrocious previously reported conditions and amount to a campaign of mass torture. The plaintiffs lived for weeks in frigid darkness, unable to see the food and medicine they were ingesting, to bathe themselves properly, to participate in their own legal defense, or to pray as their consciences demanded.
The plaintiffs were already living under inhumane conditions, with severely limited socialization, outside contact, and exercise, and experiencing the effects of solitary confinement, which researchers and impacted people have long confirmed causes severe and often permanent damage. The dangers of solitary, including increased instances of self-harm and suicide attempts, are documented by decades of research. There is consensus within the scientific community that the isolating conditions of solitary confinement exacerbate mental health conditions.
This lawsuit adds to the growing number of efforts to put an end to widespread human rights violations in solitary confinement units. Last year, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives held its first-ever Judiciary Committee hearing on the issue. Across the state, advocates also continue to bring awareness to the dangers and prevalence of its use in jails and prisons. Lehigh administrators released data under county commissioner pressure showing that at least 80 percent (probably more) of their solitary placements are for non-violent incidents. In Philadelphia in 2023, 68 percent of people in segregation units reportedly received no daily out-of-cell time as the average length of stay climbed 50 percent, and at Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility, the largest jail in Philadelphia with roughly 2,200 individuals, 29 percent of its population receive less than an hour outside their cell on average.
The lawsuit, Little v. Dauphin County 4:24-cv-02169-WIA, was filed in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. The plaintiffs are seeking monetary relief and accountability for the defendants’ unlawful and inhumane acts through a jury trial. They are represented by Margo Hu and Bret Grote of Abolitionist Law Center, and Pooja Shivaprasad and Doug Lieb of Kaufman Lieb Lebowitz & Frick LLP (KLLF).