Gay inmates effectively barred from drug rehab, suit alleges
A Palm Springs man is accusing the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department of discriminating against gay jail inmates because of a policy that, in effect, bans homosexuals from a successful drug rehabilitation program.
Michael Lamar Salomonson, 46, a chronic methamphetamine user, was arrested and charged with burglarizing a Palm Springs home in December. His attorney said that, during plea negotiations, the Riverside County district attorney’s office agreed to send Salomonson to the 180-day Residential Substance Abuse Program at the detention center in Banning in lieu of a two-year jail sentence.
But sheriff’s officials refused to enroll Salmonson in the program. Under jail policy, inmates who enter into county jails and disclose they are gay are placed into protective custody and separated from the general jail population.
Inmates in protective custody are routinely rejected for the drug rehab program, said Roger Tansey, the public defender in Indio representing Salomonson.
“It’s a wonderful program, but they won’t let him in," Tansey said. “I think it’s just easier for the jail to run it this way, but you can’t legally discriminate just because it’s easier for you."
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http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/01/gay-inmates-effectively-barred-from-drug-rehab-suit-alleges.html