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ACLU Finalizes $1.2 Million in Settlements Over Dark-Cell Abuse at Miami Correctional Facility

The payouts cap a five-year ACLU campaign over alleged sensory deprivation in Indiana’s Miami prison.

Overview

  • The ACLU of Indiana finalized more than $1.2 million in settlements for 31 people after suing the state over conditions at Miami Correctional Facility.
  • Filings say restrictive housing cells had metal-covered windows and broken lights that left people in near-total darkness for months.
  • Documents describe live electrical wires that shocked people in the dark and harms that included injuries, panic attacks, hallucinations, and self-harm.
  • The litigation started in 2021 with a case for Jeremy Blanchard, and the ACLU says the outcome supports Eighth Amendment claims and that it will keep monitoring the prison.
  • The Indiana Department of Correction had not issued a public statement, and three deaths this year plus a congressional push to end ICE detention have intensified scrutiny of the facility.