Lawsuit settled over Douglas County jail conditions

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – After being sued by a woman who was jailed under conditions she described as inhumane, officials in a southern Oregon county have agreed to lower the number of inmates crammed into a single cell, allow them showers twice a week and provide menstruating prisoners with hygiene products.

Kelly Simon, an American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon lawyer who represented former Douglas County Jail inmate Terri Carlisle, said settlements like the one filed Thursday in federal court can be used to pull back a “steel curtain” hiding conditions in overcrowded jails across America that often operate with little to no oversight.

Under the settlement, staff at the jail in the town of Roseburg must document these procedures so advocates can ensure they’re being followed. County Commissioner Chris Boice, who signed the settlement, declined to comment