The suit said that inmates in the T Unit had complained of “excessive heat” all weekend prior to Rutledge’s death.In the T Unit, inmates were confined to their cells “around the clock, including for eating and bathing,” meaning there was no respite from the heat, according to the lawsuit.Some inmates “attempted to limit the heat output to their cells by stuffing clothing in the vents to reduce the heat output,” the suit said. But such efforts were ineffective. Not only did corrections officers and staff know that the T Unit had heat issues, but special care was needed for inmates like Rutledge, who were taking psychotropic medication, which increased the risk of heat-related illness, the lawsuit said.In such cases, officers are supposed to perform regular checks on inmates to assure their wellbeing when the temperature is above 85 degrees as per the prison’s protocol, the suit said.The evening of Rutledge’s death, the heat in T Unit was over 100 degrees, the lawsuit said, and the blistering temperature was “obvious” to officers who conducted periodic checks.
Source: Alabama inmate ‘baked to death’ in prison cell ‘hotter than three hells,’ federal lawsuit says
