Supermax Inmates Sue Over Mental Health Treatment

DENVER (AP) - Five inmates who say their mental health illnesses are deteriorating in solitary confinement inside the so-called Supermax prison in Colorado have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.

In the complaint filed in Denver Monday, the inmates argue they are repeatedly denied adequate medication for illnesses such as post-traumatic stress disorder, paranoid schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

The complaint lists six additional prisoners who will become plaintiffs following an administrative exhaustion process they must complete before suing.

Inmates housed in the Control Unit at the federal facility in Florence, Colo., often spend up to 24 hours a day in isolation. Inmates with mental health illnesses who are housed in solitary confinement have been suing prisons for better care.

Bureau of Prisons officials say they don't comment on pending litigation.

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