Dunn et al v. Thomas et al

Filing 3998

ORDER AS TO THE QUARTERLY MENTAL-HEALTH STAFFING REPORTS: it is ORDERED that, within seven days of the filing of each new quarterly mental-health-staffing report, the parties are to file a joint "mental-health-staffing trends" report tha t: 1) summarizes the data in the new quarterly report; 2) states the net increase or decrease in total mental-health staffing relative to the prior report in both raw numbers and as a percentage; 3) states whether the report reflects a rate of progre ssion that places the ADOC on track to meet the forthcoming 6/1/2025, mental-health-staffing deadline; 4) states any other retrospective trends and forward-looking prognosis the report indicates; and 5) brings to the court's attention any other relevant information revealed by the report; This order applies to the mental-health staffing reports under the current formatting and all, if any, future formatting. Signed by Honorable Judge Myron H. Thompson on 7/19/2023. (amf, )

IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF THE UNITED STATES FOR THE
MIDDLE DISTRICT OF ALABAMA, NORTHERN DIVISION
EDWARD BRAGGS, et al.,
Plaintiffs,
v.
JOHN HAMM, in his
official capacity as
Commissioner of
the Alabama Department of
Corrections, et al.,
Defendants.

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CIVIL ACTION NO.
2:14cv601-MHT
(WO)

ORDER AS TO THE QUARTERLY MENTAL-HEALTH
STAFFING REPORTS
For the past several years, the defendants have been
filing quarterly mental-health staffing reports on March
1, June 1, September 1, and December 1 of each year.

See

State’s Quarterly Mental Health Staffing Report (Doc.
3971-1).

Throughout this case, both in on-the-record

conversations and the parties’ filings, the adequacy of
these quarterly reports--specifically regarding how to
measure overall mental-health staffing compliance--has
consistently been at issue.

See Joint Report Addressing

the Parties Disputes as to the Mental-Health Staffing

Reports (Doc. 3892); also 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.

At present, there is no indication that

these disputes will resolve in the near future.

Though,

the parties, in conjunction with the EMT, should continue
trying to reach a mutually agreeable resolution.
court will also continue looking into the issue.
meantime,
understand

however,
what,

it
in

is

imperative

the

that

parties’

The

In the

the

court

views,

each

mental-health staffing report reflects, regardless of the
present disputes over them.

To achieve this, the parties

will be required, as outlined below, to jointly submit a
mental-health-staffing

“trends”

report

following

each

quarterly mental-health staffing report.
Accordingly, it is ORDERED that, within seven days
of

the

filing

of

each

new

quarterly

mental-health-staffing report, the parties are to file a
joint “mental-health-staffing trends” report that: (1)
summarizes the data in the new quarterly report; (2)
2

states

the

net

increase

or

decrease

in

total

mental-health staffing relative to the prior report in
both raw numbers and as a percentage; (3) states whether
the report reflects a rate of progression that places the
ADOC on track to meet the forthcoming June 1, 2025,
mental-health-staffing deadline; (4) states any other
retrospective trends and forward-looking prognosis the
report indicates; and (5) brings to the court’s attention
any other relevant information revealed by the report.
This order applies to the mental-health staffing reports
under the current formatting and all, if any, future
formatting.
DONE, this the 19th day of July, 2023.
/s/ Myron H. Thompson
UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

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