Private prison has triple assault case

[keith74mom]

Here is one reason we need to do away with prisons for profit.
An article from Associated Press November 11, 2008:

Idaho Private Prison Has Triple Assault Rate

Boise, Idaho (AP) - Idaho's only in-state private prison the Idaho Correctional Center, has a violence rate that is three times higher than other Idaho prisons, and state officials say gangs are to blame.

Documents from the Idaho Department of Correction obtained by the Associated Press through a public records request show that between September 2007 and September 2008, there were 123 offender-on-offender assaults at the Correction Corp. of America - run prison near Boise. That compares to 42 assaults during the same period at the Idaho Maximum Security Institute.

Put another way, half of all inmate assaults at prisons statewide last year occurred at ICC.

ICC Warden Phillip Valdez says the private facility has taken steps to reduce the violence. Staff assignments have been shifted to allow more guards to work in the most violent units, and the center is upgrading its camera system by the end of the year.

Now that it is 2010 and another budget cut is announced by Governor Butch Otter of Idaho and taking into account a statement from an employee of IDOC that prison guards are not properly trained and budget cuts are resulting in layoffs and fewer guards...how many more assaults can we expect this year?

Just this past week an inmate at ICC stated that he was witness to "one of the most brutal assaults" he has ever seen. The assault was upon an inmate walking back to his unit from the chow hall. The guards present were unable to stop the assault until the victim was jumped on and kicked in the head repeatedly. My question is: The CO's carry tear gas cannisters. Why didn't they use them to stop the perpetrators of the assault? Another question I have is why are there such violent inmates in a suppossed "minimum/medium" security prison and why are they allowed to co-exist thus putting many of the minimum security inmates at serious risk of harm? Why aren't known gang members placed in a "Max" prison?


It would be a good idea if every single family who has an imprisoned loved one wrote . We must let them know that behavior of guards will not be tolerated and we need to ask why the heck are gang members termed "medium" security when it's usually them who perpetrate the violence against other inmates. I heard that they "disperse" the gang members amongst the prison population to avoid this type of situation.

[Nickel Timer]

Originally Posted by keith74mom

Another question I have is why are there such violent inmates in a suppossed "minimum/medium" security prison and why are they allowed to co-exist thus putting many of the minimum security inmates at serious risk of harm? Why aren't known gang members placed in a "Max" prison?

It would be a good idea if every single family who has an imprisoned loved one wrote . We must let them know that behavior of guards will not be tolerated and we need to ask why the heck are gang members termed "medium" security when it's usually them who perpetrate the violence against other inmates. I heard that they "disperse" the gang members amongst the prison population to avoid this type of situation.

Part of the problem is the way IDOC deals with known STGs (Security Threat Groups). They have a habit of sending the shit-sticks and known trouble-makers over to ICC so that CCA can deal with it, so that the state-run prisons don't have to. But a good part of the problem is that the staff aren't trained to the same standards over there, and aren't paid as well either, so there's higher turnover. Add that to the private prison cutting corners on everyday creature features to save money and maximize profits, and you have a dangerous situation. A powerkeg for sure.

Private companies may be better at efficiently handling goods and services, but when it comes to dealing with people, private enterprise is often lacking. The public sector should re-take control of ICC and impose uniform standards on it, improve staff pay, and thus morale.

With the recent lawsuit by the ACLU against CCA for their handling of ICC, its proving to be more of a liability than its worth.