Seven inmates filed a class action against Cuyahoga County and county officials in Cleveland federal court.
They say detainees are also routinely denied access to proper medical care and religious services in violation of their civil rights.
The county’s jails have a stated 1,765-person capacity but they currently hold more 2,400, the inmates say.
“Defendants have long been on notice of the horrific conditions and constitutional deprivations occurring daily at CCCC, yet have failed to timely or effectively remedy the deplorable state of affairs,” the 61-page lawsuit states, abbreviating the Cuyahoga County Corrections Center.
“It’s creating a sense of dread among inmates that’s truly dangrous,” Gelsomino said in a phone interview.
Two of the jails are on the same site at Cuyahoga County Corrections Center.
Two others are in Euclid and Bedford.
The goal of the lawsuit is to completely reform the jails, increase staffing and reduce in-custody deaths, the attorney said.
“Seven deaths in one year in a facility is far beyond any average or acceptable number,” Gelsomino said.
A dozen inmates were reportedly packed into one cell, two pregnant inmates were forced to sleep on the floor, and mice and other vermin were seen during food service.