Taking "America's Toughest Sheriff" to Court

Lawyers in Arizona are suing Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the
so-called "Toughest Sheriff in America", over prison conditions for
pre-trial detainees. The suit seeks to make the Maricopa County Jail
facilities that house pre-trial detainees meet the minimum
constitutional requirements mandated by a federal consent decree, which
Sheriff Arpaio has largely ignored for years. Detainees who have mental
health problems or chronic medical conditions such as respiratory
diseases and diabetes have been left untreated – at risk to their life
and health. Larry Hammond is a member of the firm Osborn Maladon in
Phoenix, and is one of the lawyers working with the ACLU on the case. 
He describes some of the conditions that detainees face.

Click here for newscast for Thursday, August 14, 2008