Lawsuit Seeking To Give Deaf Prisoners Access To Interpreters Granted Class Action Status

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A federal judge has granted class action status to a lawsuit a group of deaf and hard-of-hearing prisoners filed against the Illinois Department of Corrections.

The lawsuit, originally filed on behalf of 11 plaintiffs in 2011, claimed deaf and partially deaf prisoners have been denied the help they need to communicate.

"Systemically, we found that whenever deaf and hard-of-hearing people need interpreters, they're not given. So if they need it for disciplinary hearings, or classes that are taught, or religious services, they're not given," said Barry Taylor, vice president at Equip for Equality, a group that advocates for the civil rights of people with disabilities. "So they're really very isolated, because they don't know what's going on, and oftentimes that can have adverse consequences, such as when an emergency arises within the prison context."

Taylor said class action status for the complaint is a key step in bringing needed services to the Illinois Department of Corrections. He said the plaintiffs are calling for sign language interpreters, visual alarms for emergencies, closed captioning, and video remote interpreters.

The next hearing on the lawsuit has been scheduled for Dec. 10.

IDOC Lawsuit Granted Class Action Status