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| "A New Day" |
| By .inlander.com - Deanna Pan |
| Published: 12/05/2013 |
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In the fallout of a multimillion-dollar class-action lawsuit, Washington state's prison system is about to receive an unprecedented infusion of cash with the potential to reform the Department of Corrections from criminal justice advocates on the outside. Earlier this year, in AT&T vs. Judd, the phone company settled a civil lawsuit filed by family and friends of a former inmate who accused AT&T of charging excessive rates for collect calls from Washington prisons between 1996 and 2000. AT&T coughed up $45 million into a settlement fund for as many as 70,000 affected families. The residual funds from the settlement were awarded to social and legal service providers that work on behalf of prisoners, ex-prisoners and their families. Last week, the remainder of the settlement's residual funds, $6.5 million, was awarded to eight legal service organizations across the state. "There's a new day coming for Washington's prisons," says David Carlson, director of legal advocacy at Disability Rights Washington. Carlson's Seattle-based organization received $1.75 million, which will be used to continue its advocacy and legal work for prisoners with disabilities and mental illness. He hopes that with the new funding, organizations like his will inform the public and policymakers about "sensible" ways of dealing with prisoners and ex-prisoners. Read More. |
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