(Santa Barbara, CA – December 6, 2017) Five prisoners in the Santa Barbara County Jail filed a federal class action lawsuit today, claiming conditions at the jail do not meet minimum standards under the U.S. Constitution and federal law. According to prisoners, the jail fails to provide basic mental health and medical care, overuses and misuses solitary confinement, discriminates against people with disabilities, and provides inhumane, unsanitary, and unsafe living conditions. The prisoners seek an order from the court requiring Santa Barbara County officials to improve jail conditions to comply with constitutional and statutory standards. Representing the prisoners in the case are Disability Rights California, the Prison Law Office, and King & Spalding, which is handling the matter on a pro bono basis.

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