San Francisco's alleged practice of not granting access to sunlight to inmates in jail is at the center of a lawsuit filed on behalf of incarcerated individuals against the Sheriff's Office.
The lawsuit filed in May of 2019 went to court Tuesday and claims that denial of sunlight constitutes"cruel and unusual punishment" under the eighth amendment of the U.S. Constitution, as plaintiffs allege it has been linked to the development of chronic illnesses.
While the lawsuit alleges that all inmates at both jails are subjected to such treatment, it also recognizes a subgroup of inmates who are locked in cells for"excessive amounts of time," reads the complaint. This includes inmates who are allowed out of their cells for up to 30 minutes per day, amounting to three and a half hours per week, according to the complaint. During this half hour, they share access to phones and an exercise room.
At County Jail 4, a few inmates in one cell block come in contact with natural light and fresh air via a nearby window, but none are granted access to outdoor recreation or direct sunlight. "We firmly believe that no one should suffer inhumane conditions, and the denial of sunlight to prisoners represents a severe violation of their basic human rights," said lead attorney on the case Yolanda Huang."Our clients and others similarly situated have endured prolonged confinement without access to natural light, leading to devastating health consequences."
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