Civil Rights Protections Ruled Inapplicable To Kids In Prison
Michigan Court of Appeals has decided that the inmates in the Michigan prison system claiming to have been subjected to sexual violence and solitary confinement as children, cannot pursue their lawsuit against the state. The court did not dismiss the lawsuit on the validity of its claims, rather the majority held that the law still exists that exempts Michigan prisoners who are seeking damages from civil rights protections, despite being deemed unconstitutional by a federal judge nearly a decade ago.
The issue before the court was whether the plaintiffs could sue for damages for sex and age discrimination under the Elliot-Larsen Civil Rights Act, an old anti-discrimination law that is probably the state’s most important civil rights statute.
The Michigan Department of Corrections has not denied housing 17 year old inmates with adults until 2013, however the state denies that this practice had led to systematic sexual abuse.
Attorney for the plaintiffs plans to appeal the case to the Michigan Supreme Court.
