Pepper Spray Left Dirty | Dover News

Dover News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Aug 13, 2026 · 2m

Delaware’s prisons are facing a landmark legal battle over whether failing to clean inmates after pepper spray subduing violates the state’s ban on cruel punishment — not for money, but to force systemic change. ACLU attorneys argue that leaving prisoners coated in potent OC spray for days causes unnecessary suffering, while the state defends pepper spray as essential for order. Though a judge denied an immediate ban, he ordered trial prep and set a new precedent by establishing a test for cruel punishment based on avoidable harm. If successful, this could reshape prison decontamination…