Jamey Lamont Wilkins, an inmate at the Nash County Jail, has filed a lawsuit against the jail. He claims the conditions at the jail violate his constitutional rights.
Wilkins says that conditions at the Nash County Jail are “beyond deplorable.” He claims that his due process rights were violated when he was put in segregation without the ability to defend himself.
“Nash County has no disciplinary process period, so at the whim of any staff we can get punished without any way of refuting accusations against us,” Wilkins wrote.
Wilkins then described how awful the conditions in the isolation cells are. He said bodily fluid and waste are caked up on the walls, bars and ceiling, and those fluids will flake off into his hair, food and bed.
Wilkins says buttons that dispense water are frequently broken leaving the toilet as the only option for water. He says he has to use the toilet water to take his medication.
The lawsuit alleges that the jail is fully aware of these conditions, but still have deliberately subjected Wilkins and other inmates to them.
Wilkins also wrote about the two fires started by inmates in the jail in July. He said he was left to die in a smoke-filled cell after the fires were extinguished.
“I placed a wet towel over my mouth from the toilet to breathe through,” Wilkins wrote.
He said he eventually passed out from inhaling the smoke and hit his head on the toilet.
According to Wilkins, jail staff members intentionally pit known enemies against each other.
“Gang violence has increased in the streets because of the internal situations,” Wilkins wrote.
Wilkins is asking for nominal damages, compensatory damages, punitive damages, for cells to be repaired and cleaned, and more law books at the jail.
For information about personal injury claims, visit Cohen & Cohen, P.C.
