New York Sued Over Practice Of Keeping Offenders With Mental Illness Incarcerated Past Their Release Dates

On January 23, 2019, Legal Aid and Disability Rights New York filed a class action lawsuit against the State of New York over the practice of continuing to house offenders with serious mental illness (SMI) in prison after their sentences were completed. The practice occurs because the state lacks community supportive housing placements for them. The plaintiffs allege that the situation violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

The complaint, “M.G., P.C., C.J., M.J., J.R., and D.R. v . . .