Jefferson: Mediation slated over ACLU lawsuit against jail

A Jefferson County official and American Civil Liberties Union members on Thursday will try to resolve a class-action lawsuit filed over county jail conditions.

David Goldsmith, county administrator, will travel to Seattle to begin the mediation process in federal court before Magistrate Ricardo Martinez.

“We”ll try to mediate or eliminate as many concerns as possible as opposed to going to trial,” Goldsmith said.

Last year, the ACLU filed the suit, claiming an inmate was given a single blanket and was forced to use shampoo containers as a makeshift hot-water bottle to keep warm at night. The suit also alleged that the jail was overcrowded and that health-care staffers were not available when needed.