High Court to Hear "Hitching Post" Case
January 8, 2002
The United States Supreme Court announced last week that it will hear a case regarding whether a former Alabama inmate can sue prison guards for cruel and unusual punishment. Larry Hope claims he was shackled to a metal pole known as a "hitching post" during his 1995 imprisonment at Limestone Correctional Facility. In addition, Hope alleges that while he was restrained guards deprived him of food and water.
A hitching post is a chest-high metal bar adorned with rings. The posts were declared unconstitutional in 1998 and have not been used since. Prison officials and the Alabama Attorney General argue that guards had no way of knowing in 1995 that such punishment was soon to be considered cruel and unusual.
-- Article Courtesy of InjuryBoard.com
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