Jurors affirm man with rotten mattress is a human being who suffered cruel & unusual punishment in CT

June 25, 2008 was like every night for Harold Bell.

Bell lay curled up in a fetal position on or in a moldy mattress that had been slashed and slit down the center. He tossed and turned and moaned among the remaining insulation materials.

He was not allowed to sleep on the floor or toss the rotten mattress on the floor.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency reports that typical symptoms reported from mold exposure include: Respiratory problems – wheezing, asthma attacks; Nasal and sinus congestion or dry, hacking cough; Eye irritation – burning, watery, redness; Nose or throat irritation – sneezing fits, bloody noses; Skin irritations – rashes or hives; Nervous system – headaches, memory loss, mood changes; Aches and pains. If mold exposure is unavoidable, FEMA advises, sensitive people should wear tight-fitting masks or respirators.

Short of a visit by SEAL Team 6, there was no way he would get a mask or respirator. Government officials including medical staff knew full well about Bell’s cruel and unusual punishment, but did little or nothing to alleviate it for seven months. Indeed, staff tormented him when he asked for a safe mattress, saying things like, “I don’t have mattresses like that” even as a stack of unused mattresses was left in plain view in a hallway.

Bell was just another subhuman particle at the MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institute in Suffield ...

Complete column at Register Citizen

Also at:

New Haven Register

Middletown Press

West Hartford News

Tweet

More Cool Justice