The trial claims that inhuman conditions, neglect in Birmingham prison, caused the prisoner’s death – Al.com

City in Birmingham is a warehouse for people where inhuman conditions and neglect by staff have caused the woman’s unnecessary death, according to a federal action.

The lawyers representing Angela Karen Langley Kimberly’s family, along with another former prisoner in prison, claim that the 49-year-old woman died from Kovid-19 in December 2022 after being ignored by workers in prison and received minimum medical help.

“It was a preventable tragedy caused by a deliberate and systematic disregard for human life by those entrusted to its care,” the trial said. “For ten excruciating days, Da Kimberly suffered in a cold, crowded prison, struggling to breathe, praying for medical attention, and slowly dying in front of those who swore to protect her.”

Jonathan Austin, a lawyer in the case, said Kimberly was left to die alone in her cell. By the time the employees returned to their cell, Kimberly was dead and a strict Mortis had already come.

Kimberly, which was closed on suspicion of Dui and traffic Varants, was found unanswered during a routine cell check, SGT. Monica Law told Al.com during history. Officials said she was in a cell with one person.

The plaintiffs ask for the jurors for compensation for compensation, criminal damage and a judgment, ordering adequate funding for the prison, including medical assistance and training of employees.

The trial also seeks independent supervision and monitoring of medical care in prison.

The plaintiffs are Jacob Jerome Kimberly, the son of the deceased woman, along with Cisha Daniels, to whom she was previously imprisoned in prison and claims that she was also refused medical attention.

The trial was filed in December 2024 and amended last week. The applicant’s lawyers are Austin, Richard Rice and Anthony Piazza.

Representatives of the city of Birmingham refused to comment on the court case, citing the city’s policy not to discuss pending litigation.

In an interview with Al.com, Austin said the rights of people in the city prison do not end when cell doors close behind them.

“According to my attempt to go to prison to see customers, you can see that he is in a praise condition. This is not unique to this one case, “Austin said. “People who are arrested and prison, whether he is a person who is guilty and serves his sentence, or pre -detention, all these people are still US citizens and deserve to have the same protection as everyone else.”

The plaintiffs claim that the city has worked on an unwritten agreement to reduce costs in the Birmingham City prison.

The prison renovation has been in the city budget since at least 2006 and ranges from replacement of the roof to the repair of the water supply and the addition of padded cells. The capital budget of the city of Birmingham 2022-2026 noted that most of the $ 1.5 million allocated for repairs were spent with only $ 188,586.

“Through systematically insufficient funding of prison surgery, reducing medical staff and implementation of an unwritten medical refusal policy to avoid costs, they guaranteed that detainees as Mrs. Kimberly were left to take care of themselves in themselves in Life -threatening situations, “the lawsuit claims.

The plaintiffs are looking for class actions status for the trial.

“The inhuman attitude of d -Ja Kimberly is not an isolated incident – this is the result of a deeply rooted culture of negligence and deliberate indifference.”

The court claims that Kimberly was taken to the UAB emergency room for evaluation and received strict instructions to return to the emergency room if symptoms develop.

She complained of cough, sore throat and shortness of breath during medical screening. According to the medical records provided by the defendants, it has received a quick Covid-19 test, which is positive and is immediately in isolation for seven days. Lawyers say no medicines have been prescribed for her Covid-19 infection.

Human rights violations claim in the case include:

● Cells intended for two prisoners now hold three to four, some sleep directly on concrete floors without mattresses.

● The prison serves two non -standard meals a day, “falling far below every reasonable standard of decency.”

● There is no effective segregation of prisoners based on the severity of the crime or vulnerability.

● Mental and physical health are grossly insufficient, with emergency medical needs ignored or delayed.

● The level of violence and threats among prisoners is increasing daily due to insufficient staff and supervision.

The prison and the need to take prisoners elsewhere because of his physical condition were the source of a dispute between Mayor Randal Woodfin, Sheriff Mark Pettway and the Djefferson County Commission in recent years.

Woodfin in December 2023 asked the sheriff to shelter Birmingham prisoners accused of crimes crimes. The district prison already houses people arrested on charges of crime.

Initially, however, an agreement collapsed after a few days in a battle for the amount in the dollar that the county would be refunded as a prisoner.

Woodfin and the city then filed a lawsuit against Pettway to force him to take prisoners. This case was dismissed in the District Court of Jefferson County, but the city filed a complaint with the Supreme Court of Alabama last week.

For at least two decades, Birmingham has been looking for an alternative to its aging city prison and its contested condition. Ideas include the creation of a regional prison and working with the prisoners’ accommodation.

When the case was brought, Jimmy Stevens, president of the Djefferson County Committee, told Al.com in February 2024 that it was not the role of the county to take on the Birmingham prison.

“I do not think this is the responsibility of Jefferson County to save the city of Birmingham from a problem they have created for themselves,” Stevens told Al.com at the time. “Jefferson County invests in taxpayers in our facility to make sure it is up -to -date and managed to serve the citizens of Jefferson County. The city of Birmingham didn’t do that. “

Stevens said he had met Woodfin to discuss the prison problem, but the mayor failed to present a long -term goal.

Austin, who is also a former chairman of the Birmingham Council and chairman of his Committee on Public Safety, said he recalled years of conversations that were dealing with unsatisfied prison needs.

“This case is not just about the suffering of a woman – it’s about accountability. It is a matter of the obligation of civil servants to provide humane treatment for those who are in custody, an obligation that protects the rights of every citizen in this country, “the lawyers wrote in the trial. “If the government can ignore the suffering of a sick and dying detainee in the shadows of the closure cell, then no one is really safe with the abuse of unverified power.”