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| Penn. County Prison Inmate Sues Over Burns |
| By The Express-Times |
| Published: 02/10/2003 |
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A Northampton County, Pa., Prison inmate sued three prison administrators after he suffered second-degree burns from an exposed steam heating pipe in a prison hallway outfitted with dorm-style beds. Jimmy Dorsey, who filed the suit on his own behalf last Monday in county court, said he was burned late last year by the pipes while serving time in the makeshift hallway cell block called 'the horn' or 'the fire escape.' Corrections Director H. James Smith, who was named in the suit, said Monday he was aware that the system of heating pipes has caused burns, although he was not aware of Dorsey's case. Dorsey's handwritten lawsuit says he fell into the pipes in November or December and suffered second-degree burns that took three weeks to treat and left permanent scars. He claims that being forced to stay near the exposed pipes constituted 'cruel and unusual punishment.' Smith said jail officials installed a railing over the pipe in November or December to prevent future scalding. Smith said the heating pipes are located beneath windows on the north side of the hallway while the bunk beds line the opposite side of the area. The danger posed by the hot pipes was 'immediately addressed' after the burns came to administrators' attention, Smith said. But in a letter dating back to December 2001, another county inmate reported 'at least two cases of people getting seriously burned on the exposed pipes.' The letter from inmate Matthew R. Luty says the heating system produced so much heat that inmates had to hang blankets from their bunks to act as shields. Administrators ran air conditioners and exhaust fans during winter months to get rid of the excessive heat, the letter says. Smith was not aware of Luty's allegations, which came in a handwritten, six-page letter to The Express-Times on Dec. 17, 2001. Prison Warden Todd Buskirk said he believes the steam heating system -- from which heat radiates directly through the pipes to heat the rooms -- dates back to 1907, when the cell block containing the horn was built. Buskirk was named as a defendant in the suit, along with Scott Hoke, deputy warden of classification. Dorsey also claims in his suit that that other prisoners threw urine and human waste on him in the horn and that he was denied the right to see his doctor to discuss colon surgery on three occasions. The county is expected to pay about $3 million this year to house 150 inmates in other county prisons because there's no room in Northampton County Prison. Although the number of prisoners committed to the county jail has risen dramatically in the past 10 years, the prison has not been expanded to accommodate the growth. |
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