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| Plan to End Wyo. Inmate Abuse Close |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 05/20/2003 |
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A plan to solve inmate safety issues at the Wyoming State Penitentiary is nearly completed, with just four issues remaining for resolution, an attorney said. In November, U.S. District Judge Clarence A. Brimmer ordered the state and the American Civil Liberties Union to create plans to address inmate abuse and other civil rights issues at the prison in Rawlins. The first of nine drafts was filed in December by the Wyoming Attorney General's Office and the ACLU Foundation. The original suit, filed in February 2002 by the ACLU, came in two parts. The first was a claim for Brad Skinner, who sought compensatory damages. The second claim seeks injunctive and declaratory relief on behalf of Skinner and all present and future inmates of the prison. The issues came to light when Skinner he said he had suffered abuse at the hands of other inmates in 1999. Shortly after Skinner was moved to a now-closed unit of the prison, inmates threatened to hurt him, Skinner said. Still, officers ignored Skinner's request to be segregated, ACLU attorney Stephen Pevar said. The inmates then beat Skinner unconscious. He still suffers long-lasting effects of those injuries, Pevar has said. That was one of between 100 and 300 assaults at the prison since 1996, court records show. Skinner's situation spoke to larger problems at the prison, including issues of staff training and skill development and a lack of protocol on how to handle abuse, both between inmates and between officers and inmates. It also became clear there was a culture among the officers that prevented them from following some policies pertaining to assault investigations, record show. ''The penitentiary isn't the best place to live or work,'' Pevar said last week. Last November both sides were given 21 days to file separate corrective plans to address issues at the prison. After reviewing the state's plan, Brimmer called it inadequate. State attorneys then created the second proposal. |
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