Justice Department representative tours jail

Cathy Scott

Friday, Dec. 26, 1997 | 10:36 a.m.

An attorney with the Justice Department toured the Clark County Detention Center this week in preparation for an investigation into accusations of civil rights violations and unsanitary conditions.

A representative with the District Attorney's office joined the lawyer, from Washington, D.C., on the tour Tuesday as the Justice Department prepared for next month's inspection of the 12-story facility on Casino Center Drive downtown.

Inmates have been complaining for months that the jail, which is run by Metro Police, is overcrowded and unsanitary, especially in the holding cells where inmates are housed for two to seven days as they wait to be either released or moved to a cell.

During their stay in the holding area, they are not given blankets or pillows and are forced to sleep on the concrete floor. They also say they're not allowed to take showers for days or put on clean clothing. On any given day, as many as 40 to 50 inmates can be found in a holding cell intended to house 28.

If the Justice Department finds the allegations to be true, the jail could be ordered closed until conditions improve.

"The investigation will focus specifically on allegations concerning poor sanitation and hygiene, inadequate medical and mental health care, and failure to respond to inmate grievances, but it is not limited to those areas," the Justice Department's letter said.

Jail officials have said the reason for the current condition is not enough employees and too many inmates.

Mary Miller, counsel for the district attorney's office, said earlier that an exact date for the inspection had not been set. Miller was unavailable Wednesday for comment.

The investigation was announced earlier this month by the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division in a letter to the county commission chairwoman, district attorney and sheriff.

The $52 million facility opened in 1984. The population inside the 1,488-bed jail has topped out at more than 2,300 inmates in recent months.

Similar complaints in 1977 were launched at the old jail and the Justice Department investigated. A consent decree was issued mandating the sheriff to make the jail a humane place.