D.C. Jail faces class action over sewage and mold claims

People detained at the D.C. Jail in Southeast filed a class-action lawsuit this week alleging unsanitary conditions at the 1901 D Street SE complex, including sewage overflows, mold, mice and cockroaches.

The federal complaint matters to residents because the jail holds people awaiting trial or serving sentences in the District, and the Justice Department announced last month that it was investigating whether conditions at the D.C. Department of Corrections violate the Constitution.

The lawsuit says the problems include erupting toilets, water leaks and mold growth inside housing units. It alleges the Department of Corrections has failed to maintain basic sanitation and respond adequately to long-running maintenance problems.

“We’re supposed to be in humane conditions, which it’s not,” said Shameka Hayes, who said she spent roughly three years inside the jail from 2022 to 2025.

Hayes described mold inside a cell and said people detained there were given bleach to wipe it away. “It’s not a big deal to them. But it’s a big deal to us because it affects our health,” she said.

The complaint cites plaintiff Tony McClam, saying he experienced flooding from multiple toilets between August and October 2025 after sewage water shot out. It says that several months later he was trapped in a locked cell and used his bare hands and a washcloth to move water while on his knees.

The lawsuit also says plaintiff Christopher Brockington had several floods on his unit in July 2026, leaving belongings floating in contaminated water that reached his knees. Those claims have not been tested in court.

Misty Thomas Zaleski, executive director of the Council for Court Excellence, said a 2025 audit conducted with support for the D.C. auditor found extensive plumbing complaints. “The plumbing conditions in the jail is something that the audit that we worked on in support of the DC auditor in developing found dozens, if not close to 100 active complaints related specifically to plumbing,” she said.

The case seeks court-ordered repairs to address plumbing and pest-control failures. Lawyers for the plaintiffs argue the alleged conditions violate constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment.

The jail has faced scrutiny for several years over staffing, building conditions and the age of its facilities. The Department of General Services has said the first phase of a new jail is not expected to be finished until 2032, and the full project is not expected to be completed until 2035.

“The culture needs to be changed. The regulations need to be changed,” Thomas Zaleski said. “Those can happen simultaneously while we are working to get a new building that is going to meet 21st-century standards.”

The D.C. Department of Corrections had not responded to a request for comment. The court docket shows the case awaiting assignment to a judge.