WASHINGTON November 15 (RIA Novosti) Inmates at a US prison in the state of Idaho claim that officials have ceded control to gang leaders and have filed a lawsuit against the private company that runs the prison.
“The complaint alleges that Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) fosters and develops criminal gangs. Ideally, the lawsuit should force this to come to an end,” said attorney Wyatt Johnson, one of the lawyers representing the eight inmates suing the CCA, the nation’s largest private prison company.
The inmates say CCA allows prison gangs to control the Idaho Correctional Center in order for the company to save money on payroll costs by employing fewer prison guards.
The inmates contend in the lawsuit filed last Friday in US District Court that their rights have been “sacrificed intentionally so that CCA may make an unfair profit by skimping on inmate (and guard) safety precautions” and that “the practice of using gang violence as a corporate cost savings measure is beyond reprehensible.”
The lawsuit claims that in May the inmates suffered serious injuries during an attempted mass murder initiated by two of the prison’s gangs, the Aryan Knights and Severely Violent Criminals, which the inmates say happened due to lack of adequate staffing in the prison that could have prevented the attacks.
The prison has been described as a place where correctional officers that are employed are afraid of angering the gang members in the facility and enforcing certain rules, and that prison officials ask permission of some of the resident gang leaders before moving anyone to a new cell, the Associated Press reported.
In response to the charges, CCA, said its main priority is the safety and security of its prisons, employees and inmates, the AP reported.
“We take all allegations seriously and act swiftly if our standards have not been met,” CCA spokesman Steve Owen said. “… At all times, we are held to the highest standards of accountability and transparency by our government partners, and expect to be.”
CCA has operated the Idaho prison, the largest in the state, in partnership with the state correction department for more than 10 years.
