LAKE COUNTY, Mont. (NMB) – In a press release from Upper Seven law, it was announced that 38 people incarcerated at the Lake County jail in Polson have filed a federal lawsuit, alleging that the jail is “dangerous unhygienic and overcrowded.”
Lake County officials have yet to comment on the lawsuit.
The lawsuit alleges that “inmates are often left without hot water and basic toiletries, they do not have access to fresh air or sunlight, they are forced to sleep on the floor, and they must bang on doors and shout to get the attention of guards. Further, mold grows on walls and mattresses, the heating and ventilation systems are inadequate, and there is frequently standing water on the floor. The inmates allege that these conditions, among others, violate the federal and state constitutions and Montana jail standards.”
In addition, the lawsuit notes that most of the plaintiffs are Native American and claims that they are not provided access to religious ceremonies that are not Christian.
The lawsuit asks the court to “declare that the county has violated the plaintiffs’ rights and to put an end to the practices giving rise to the lawsuit.”
