AN EIGHTH AMENDMENT VIOLATION?
by Sharon Rondeau
(May 15, 2017) — On Monday morning, The Post & Email received a letter from an inmate whose case we have been following for some months stating that he has been released from segregation and returned to the general population at South Central Correctional Facility (SCCF) in Clifton, Tennessee.
However, in the letter, which is dated May 9, 2017, the inmate stated that none of his three prescription medications has been resumed, a situation which persists at least into its third week.
On Friday, The Post & Email reported that it had contacted Correct Care Solutions (CCS) spokesman Jim Cheney on Tuesday of last week and again on Friday to ask why the medications have reportedly been withheld. We continue to await a response as of this writing (9:59 a.m. EDT, 05-15-17).
SCCF is owned and operated by CoreCivic, formerly Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), although it staff is required to follow the policies of the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC), as we reported in detail on Saturday.
In the coming days, we will be seeking expert legal opinions as to whether or not the withholding of physician-prescribed medications from prison inmates is considered a violation of the Eighth Amendment, which prohibits “cruel and unusual punishments.”
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ELmo