Detainees Challenge Inhumane Conditions During Intentional Blackout at Pennsylvania Jail

KLLF and the Abolitionist Law Center (ALC) filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of dozens of men who were held in solitary confinement at the Dauphin County Prison in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, when the warden intentionally cut the power and shut off the heat in November and December of 2023.

The suit alleges that prison officials engaged in a "campaign of collective punishment" by confiscating legal paperwork, cutting off communication with loved ones on the outside, and depriving people of basic necessities, including toilet paper, showers, and religious texts. According to the lawsuit, the warden then escalated this campaign by ordering a weeks-long blackout. The resulting unsanitary conditions and deprivation of heat, light, and human contact amounted to torture, Plaintiffs Kani Little, James Patterson, and Hector Ramos allege.

The suit seeks damages on behalf of all people incarcerated in the solitary confinement units at the Dauphin County Prison during the blackout period.

The Associated Press, FOX43 television, New York Daily News, and PennLive covered the filing. KLLF attorneys Doug Lieb and Pooja Shivaprasad represent the plaintiffs, along with ALC co-counsel.