Prisoners in Beaumont have brought more than 130 lawsuits in the past month, claiming that their rights were violated when they were not evacuated from the LeBlanc Unit at the state prison before Hurricane Ike, the Beaumont Enterprise reports:

In a 26-page handwritten complaint, the inmates state that the prison evacuated prisoners prior to Hurricane Gustav's arrival and should have evacuated prior to Hurricane Ike as well, since meteorologists were forecasting a much more severe storm.

 

By having to withstand the storm within the prison, the plaintiffs allege, many inmates suffered from psychological trauma.

 

 

 

The newspaper says it was unable to reach the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for comment but provides this summary of a news release:

However, a press release on the agency's Web site states that power at 41 facilities was quickly restored through the use of generators and that the "Stiles, Gist and LeBlanc facilities were notified to boil water for a short time after the city's water system was inundated with salt water from the storm surge."

No serious injuries to staff or inmates were reported by any of the state's prisons as a result of the storm, the release also notes.