Lawsuit Seeks Beds for Indiana Inmates

A lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Indiana may result in more comfortable sleeping arrangements for inmates in the state, pending judge approval.

The ACLU filed the suit earlier this year after more than 20 prisoners in a Monroe County jail were forced to sleep on the jail's gymnasium floor after the number of inmates exceeded the jail's capacity in January, the Associated Press reports.

A settlement agreed on this week between the civil rights organization and the Indiana County caps the jail's secured bed capacity at 248, and requires prisoners to be released or sent to other jails if that limit is exceeded.

According to Sheriff Jim Kennedy, a recent million-dollar renovation and double-bunking in cells has maximized space within the facility. Nonetheless, the jail's population has passed the 248 limit at least three times in the past several months.

The settlement awaits approval from a federal judge, which could occur in a hearing scheduled for December 3.

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, about 2.3 million prisoners were held in federal or state prisons or in local jails as of June 2008.