Mack v. Thomas et al

The class-action lawsuit Mack v. Thomas was filed against the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) on behalf of HIV-positive prisoners. The plaintiffs challenged a long-standing policy that mandated the segregation of inmates with HIV, denying them equal access to educational programs, work opportunities, and other prison privileges. The suit argued that the discriminatory practice inflicted psychological harm and constituted cruel and unusual punishment. On November 20, 2018, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama approved a landmark settlement agreement, effectively ending the mandatory isolation of HIV-positive inmates statewide and requiring confidential, equal medical treatment.

On November 20, 2018, U.S. District Judge Myron H. Thompson approved a comprehensive settlement. The ADOC agreed to permanently cease mandatory HIV-based segregation, provide equal access to all programs and work assignments, and implement confidential testing and treatment protocols without isolating inmates solely based on their HIV status.

Whether the Alabama Department of Corrections' blanket policy of automatically segregating HIV-positive inmates from the general prison population violated the Eighth Amendment's prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment and the Americans with Disabilities Act's ban on discrimination.

The settlement was widely praised as a historic civil rights victory, dismantling a systemic form of medical apartheid in a state prison system. It served as a national precedent, encouraging other jurisdictions to reform discriminatory segregation policies and significantly advancing the fight against HIV-related stigma within the criminal justice system.