Two detainees held at the downtown Bloomington jail are suing Monroe County in federal court over conditions at the aging facility.
Represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana, Tayler Grubb and Joseph Marrero filed the lawsuit Friday in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, according to a copy of their complaint published over the weekend by The B Square Bulletin, a news website covering local government.
Read more: County could move detainees to other jails
The complaint names three defendants: the Monroe County Council, Monroe County Commissioners, and Sheriff Ruben Marté, each in their official capacities.
In the suit, Grubb and Marrero describe overcrowding, broken plumbing, violence, and other unsafe or unhealthy conditions are at the jail.
The plaintiffs are asking the judge to declare conditions at the jail unconstitutional, order county officials to take necessary steps to address the conditions, and to certify the case as a class action representing all detainees held there now and in the future. The allegations include violations of constitutional due process guarantees and prohibitions against cruel and unusual punishment.
County officials did not immediately respond to messages Sunday.
The jail's deterioration is at the center of a years-long debate in local government over where to build a new facility to replace the downtown facility. County officials agreed to replace the jail nearly two decades ago in an agreement with the ACLU. However, local officials have continuously failed to agree on a new location.
Read more: ACLU interviews inmates for new lawsuit
A subcommittee of city and county officials tasked with recommending a new jail site is expected to vote Monday on a final recommendation.
Last week, the County Commissioners declared a jail overcrowding "emergency" and proposed sending detainees to other counties until a new jail is built. The estimated cost would be $3-5 million for the first year.
