Vigo County Jail Conditions Ruled Unconstitutional

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) — A federal judge has ruled conditions are unconstitutional at the overcrowded Vigo County Jail.

U.S. District Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson in the ruling posted Tuesday also required the western Indiana county to provide a timetable for progress on construction of a new Vigo County jail by Oct. 15 and to report on increasing staffing at the current jail.

She wrote that "increased staffing would further the goal of increasing the amount of recreation inmates could engage in and would improve the staff's ability to perform medical and safety checks."

Magnus-Stinson granted partial summary judgment to inmates who filed a 2016 lawsuit claiming the conditions were unconstitutional.

The Tribune-Star reports the current jail's capacity is 268 but the population is about 300.