IL Inmate Deprived Of Exercise For 3 Years; Supreme Court Declines To Hear Appeal

PONTIAC, IL — The U.S. Supreme Court this week declined to hear an appeal from a former Illinois inmate who was deprived of exercise for nearly three years while in solitary confinement, according to reports. The court’s three liberal justices, however, issued a strong dissent.

Michael Johnson was held for years in a windowless cell the size of a parking space at Pontiac Correctional Center, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote in the dissent.

“His cell was poorly ventilated, resulting in unbearable heat and noxious odors,” she wrote.

“The space was also unsanitary, often caked with human waste. And because Pontiac officials would not provide cleaning supplies to Johnson unless he purchased them from the commissary, he was frequently forced to clean that filth with his bare hands. Johnson was allowed out of his cell to shower only once per week, for 10 brief minutes.”

Inmates in solitary confinement are typically allowed at least eight hours per week of yard recreation time, but Johnson’s exercise was repeatedly restricted for 30- or 90-day periods due to infractions, according to the dissent. The stacked restrictions resulted in years of exercise deprivation, Jackson wrote, noting Johnson suffered from bipolar disorder, severe depression and other conditions.

“Johnson’s mental state deteriorated rapidly,” she wrote. “He suffered from hallucinations, excoriated his own flesh, urinated and defecated on himself, and smeared feces all over his body and cell. Johnson became suicidal and sometimes engaged in misconduct with the hope that prison guards would beat him to death.”

He also suffered spasms, cramping, fatigue and respiratory issues, according to the dissent.

Johnson was eventually transferred to a mental health unit, where he improved, according to the judge, who argued Johnson was the victim of unconstitutional deliberate indifference and that he had tried to notify staff of his worsening condition.

Johnson, who is now free on parole, initially brought his lawsuit seeking damages and treatment in 2016, according to Reuters, which reported his argument was repeatedly rejected by lower courts. Johnson was imprisoned following a home invasion conviction and then in prison was convicted of twice battering an officer, Reuters reported.