Former inmates describe them as close to concentration camps, where they did not know how long they had to stay, and were victims of extreme methods of punishing.

In a related case, several other inmates "described the way in which the handcuffs burned and chafed their skin during their placement on the post."

The inmates all described Mr. Pelosi as a man with a lot to say.

The remains of lunch (which one inmate described as "even worse than hospital food") were scattered on trays.

But some inmates and their relatives described a continuing climate of fear in the wake of the uprising.

The trial opened yesterday amid a widening Federal investigation into possible civil rights violations at the Nassau jail, where many current and former inmates have described beatings as an everyday occurrence.

Residents lead what inmates described as quiet lives of biding time.

Two female inmates described repeated humiliations.

In the lawsuit, the inmate described himself as "an active and faithful member of St. Mark's Church" in Craig, Colo., the site of the prison.

One Black inmate described their opinion on the causes and effects of this bias: