Winston & Strawn Settles Discrimination Suit On Behalf of Deaf Individuals at a Virginia Prison

Winston & Strawn, along with the Washington Lawyers' Committee, successfully settled a case brought on behalf of a group of deaf and hard of hearing inmates at Powhatan Correctional Center in State Farm, Virginia. This settlement establishes Powhatan as the first major correctional facility in the U.S. to have a videophone, enabling deaf inmates to communicate with their family and friends in their native language. The settlement also provides these individuals with American Sign Language interpreters two full days a week, as well as sign language interpretation of rules and orientation, disciplinary and release proceedings, medical appointments, and educational and vocations instruction. Prior to the settlement, Powhatan only provided an interpreter once a week for six hours.