NY inmates sue over lack of dental floss

A group of inmates in a New York county jail is suing the Westchester County Department of Corrections for $500 million over dental floss -- or lack thereof, according to a story in the Journal News.

In a 25-page lawsuit filed September 10 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Santiago Gomez, lead plaintiff in the suit, claims the prisoners' civil rights have been violated because the jail does not give inmates access to dental floss but is aware that failure to use floss can causes cavities.

Representatives of two other New York counties told the Journal News that their counties do not permit inmates free access to dental floss because of potential security issues. They are allowed to use it under a nurse's supervision, however.

According to the National Commission on Correctional Health Care, an accreditation organization that sets standards on inmate care, the use of dental floss is regulated because inmates can use it to attack other prisoners or even to try sawing through jail bars.