Davis v. RI Department of Corrections

This is a class-action lawsuit against the RI Department of Corrections (DOC) claiming that the facility failed to provide adequate heat to at least two cell blocks for more than a month and a half.  The lawsuit argues that the facility’s failure to provide heat during the coldest months of the year has made cells “dangerously cold,” placing prisoners’ health and safety at risk, and constitutes cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Update: March 2019: Lawsuit voluntarily dismissed by the ACLU following the DOC taking action to restore adequate heat.