Pennsylvania jail confiscated inmates’ toilet paper and soap, cut power and heat, a lawsuit alleges

Associated Press

A Pennsylvania jail is facing accusations it retaliated against inmates suspected of smoking synthetic marijuana by withholding necessities like toilet paper, soap and warm clothing. The suit also alleges the jail cut power and heat to the inmates. Inmates at Dauphin County Prison accuse top jail officials in a federal lawsuit of waging an escalating, monthlong campaign of collective punishment. A lawyer for the plaintiffs calls it a “campaign of mass torture.” The plaintiffs are seeking monetary damages on behalf of detainees kept in the jail’s restricted housing unit in November and December of 2023. Dauphin County Commissioner Justin Douglas says he’s “deeply disturbed” by the allegations.