The State - News from Dec. 19, 1988

Prisoners at the California Institution for Women have filed suit claiming that they are being subjected to cruel and unusual punishment because the prison has inadequate restrooms. The San Bernardino Superior Court suit seeks an injunction that would require the Chino prison to provide more toilets and showers for inmates, said Donald Specter, director of the Prison Law Office. The office, a nonprofit group that provides free legal services to inmates in California, filed the suit on behalf of inmates Jeri Becker and Norma Jackson. Both have complained about bad restroom conditions for more than a year, Specter said. “I think it’s cruel and unusual punishment . . . toilets aren’t available for these women 24 hours a day and that’s just unconscionable,” he said. State Department of Corrections officials declined comment, saying they had not seen the suit. The prison, designed for 1,027 inmates, has a population of about 2,428, putting a strain on facilities, Specter said.