Texas death row inmates sue state over ‘brutal’ solitary confinement conditions

Class action lawsuit alleges prison authorities are inflicting ‘cruel and unusual punishment’ in breach of constitutional rights

A class action suit has been brought on behalf of the 185 male prisoners on death row in Texas, accusing the state of violating the inmates’ constitutional rights by holding them in permanent solitary confinement in some cases for more than 20 years.

The state’s prison authorities are alleged to be inflicting “cruel and unusual punishment” on the men in breach of the eighth amendment of the US constitution. The lawsuit describes how the prisoners are held in “devastating conditions” in isolation for up to 23 years without pause, with almost 80% of the death row occupants having been in solitary for more than 10 years.