Opinion
Civil Action 2:14cv601-MHT (WO)
08-23-2022
EDWARD BRAGGS, et al., Plaintiffs, v. JOHN HAMM, in his official capacity as Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Corrections, et al., Defendants.
ORDER ON MENTAL-HEALTH STAFFING LEVELS
MYRON H. THOMPSON, DISTRICT JUDGE
By order entered on July 19, 2022, the court required the parties to submit reports on “what the most recent quarterly mental-health staffing reports to the court reflect” and set the matter for discussion at the status conference on August 15, 2022. Phase 2A Revised Remedy Scheduling Order on the Eighth Amendment Claim (Doc. 3664) at 7-8. The court left to the plaintiffs' judgment “how far back to reference.” Id. at 7. Reviewing mental-health staffing levels between January 1, 2021, and March 31, 2022, the parties appear to agree on several
areas that have seen staffing increases and at least one area of continued staffing challenges (viz. staffing of registered nurses (RNs)). See Aug. 15, 2022, R.D. Status Conference Tr. 51-52. They represent that no action by the court is necessary at this time.
The court agrees that no action is necessary at this time. However, in their reports, the parties appear to express disagreement on the appropriate method for comparison of ADOC's mental-health staffing levels against the levels set forth by the mental-health staffing ratios and mental-health staffing matrix incorporated in Sections 2.2.1 and 2.2.3 of the Phase 2A Omnibus Remedial Order (Doc. 3464). Compare Pls.' Report on What the Most Recent Mental Health Staffing Reports Reflect (Doc. 3709) at 4 n.6, with Defs.' Response to Pls.' Report Regarding Quarterly Mental-Health Staffing Reports (Doc. 3749) at 2-3. The court finds that other issues in this case are considerably more pressing but notes that it will revisit this issue with the parties at a later time.
Accordingly, it is ORDERED that the court will not take any immediate action with respect to mental-health staffing levels at this time. The court will, instead, in a later order, set a time line to revisit this issue.
DONE,