Jan 15, 2009 8:05 am US/Eastern
I-Team: Judge Denounces Gassing Of Mentally Ill
JACKSONVILLE (CBS4) ―
A U.S. District judge has ruled that the use of chemical agents, like tear gas or pepper spray, to control mentally ill patients in Florida's state prison is illegal and unconstitutional because the inmate's illness may prevent them from being able to conform to the rules.
Family members of mentally ill inmates incarcerated at Florida's state prison and a team of Miami lawyers had challenged the practice claiming chemically gassing mentally ill inmates to control their behavior was cruel and unusual punishment.
In a landmark 75 page ruling, U.S. District Judge Timothy Corrigan ordered prison officials and attorneys representing the mentally ill to come up with an alternative plan by February to address the problem.
CBS4 chief I-Team investigative reporter Michele Gillen first exposed the gassing of mentally ill prisoners in Florida and the allegations that the practice was unconstitutional in a series of special reports in 2008.
(© MMIX CBS Television Stations. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald contributed material for this report)
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