The Tennessee Department of Correction has settled a five-year-old lawsuit that alleged the state’s treatment of deaf inmates violated federal law. (Photo: Getty Images.)
The Tennessee Department of Correction has agreed to provide videophones, sign language interpreters and other accommodations to deaf people inside Tennessee prisons, settling a five-year-old lawsuit that alleged the state’s treatment of deaf inmates violated federal law.
The legal settlement also bars the department from punishing or penalizing a deaf inmate for using sign language or failing to obey an order he or she cannot hear or understand. The department additionally agreed to provide hearing tests every three years for all inmates over the age of 65.
The settlement, entered just ahead of a scheduled trial in the case, came six months after a federal judge ruled in favor of deaf inmates on many of their legal claims. U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger in July issued a partial ruling that held the state had violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by failing to provide videophones and sign language interpreters for medical appointments, religious services, and parole and prison discipline processes.
Attorneys who brought the suit said the settlement will ensure deaf inmates in Tennessee prisons will be guaranteed equal access to communication going forward.
“This settlement means that deaf prisoners in state facilities will have an equal opportunity to get their education, attend religious services, and access their medical care, which is critical to their rehabilitation and success once they return to society,” said Stacie Price, Legal Director of Disability Rights Tennessee, a nonprofit law firm that filed suit on behalf of deaf prisoners.
The legal team also included Denver-based Fox & Robertson, Disability Rights Advocates and Disability Law United.
As part of the settlement, the Tennessee Department of Correction agreed to pay $7,000 in damages to each of three inmates who joined the lawsuit. The department also agreed to pay out $3.25 million in legal fees.
The department “does not admit to any violation of the law and does not admit to any wrongdoing,” the settlement said.
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