FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Trial Begins for 5 Prisoners Charged
with Riot
Luzerne
County, PA – September 18, 2013 – The trial for 5 Pennsylvania prisoners who
were charged with riot at SCI Dallas in 2010 is scheduled to begin September 30,
2013 at Luzerne County Courthouse after a pretrial hearing today.
In April of
2010, 6 prisoners who were incarcerated at SCI Dallas covered their cell
windows with towels to speak to prison officials about food deprivation and conditions
in solitary confinement. The men were removed
from their cells, pepper sprayed, beaten, and tased by correctional officers. The prisoners filed grievances and wrote to
outside agencies about the event. The
Department of Corrections filed riot charges against the prisoners in July of
2010. One prisoner plead out of the case and
has since been released. The remaining 5
incarcerated men will face trial under Judge Lisa Gelb.
The details
of the case are documented in two reports issued by the Human Rights Coalition,
a Pennsylvania based advocacy group for human rights. The case was highlighted at a hearing, last
September, on solitary confinement that was convened by the Democratic Policy
Committee in Pennsylvania. The Human
Rights Coalition is calling on the District Attorney this week to dismiss
charges against the prisoners.
Contact:
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