Del. DOC responds to lawsuit filed by ACLU of Delaware
SUSSEX COUNTY, Del. – The Delaware Department of Corrections (Del. DOC) is responding to a lawsuit filed by the ACLU of Delaware on Friday.
The lawsuit alleges that on two separate occasions, correctional officers at Sussex Correctional Institution (SCI) brutally beat two inmates. In a statement given to 47ABC, the Del. DOC wrote, “The Department of Correction learned of the lawsuits over the weekend through the news media and we are reviewing them at this time. This is now a matter before the courts and we will respond to the allegations through the legal system.”
In the suit, plaintiffs say in September of 2021, several SCI attacked Isaac Montague unprovoked. Three officers are accused of leading the attack, while others watched, with some even videotaping the incident. Montague was allegedly placed in solitary confinement after the attack, without proper access to medical care.
The suit also alleges that the next month, William Davis was held at SCI, despite the fact that his release from the facility had been ordered by the court. The SCI officer who had allegedly initiated the previous month’s attack began beating Davis after he answered a question incorrectly. Davis says officers sprayed pepper spray into his nostril.
Executive Director of the ACLU of Delaware Mike Brickner says they are seeking financial compensation for the victims. “They’re going to need physical therapy, medical treatment, and other kinds of support to fully heal from what they experienced at the hands of these correctional officers,” he said.
Brickner says they’re also seeking systemic change within the facility, and more accountability from Del. DOC leaders. “When you have correctional officers who are engaging in assault like this, it’s very troubling because, unfortunately, that could point to other types of abuses or other issues going on in the facility,” he said.
The ACLU of Delaware is also encouraging others in Sussex County who may have been victims of similar incidents at SCI to speak up. “While we know of these two incidents, there are very likely incidents that we don’t know about,” said Brickner. “Certainly we want to have major changes happen at Sussex Correctional Institution. The fact that this happened to two different incarcerated people, and potentially more, point to the need for some systemic change.”
In the coming weeks, the ACLU of Delaware says they will be buys filing court documents related to the lawsuit. Brickner says after that, they expect the case to be heard by a federal district court.
