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| Sex Abuse Alleged in Lawsuits Against Calif. Prison |
| By San Bernardino County Sun |
| Published: 03/10/2003 |
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Two former inmates from the California Institution for Women state prison have filed separate lawsuits alleging they were sexually assaulted and harassed by the same correctional officer. The women claim in their lawsuits, filed in West Valley Superior Court, that the officer, 28-year-old Francisco Sanchez, forced them to perform sex acts inside the prison near Chino from January through May of last year. Their lawyers contend that the California Department of Corrections failed to protect the women from the officer and that the department generally lacks adequate procedures for protecting inmates from sexually abusive staff. 'I think one of the most important things that could come out of these lawsuits is reform of the way they handle complaints against correctional officers,' said attorney Douglas Perlman, whose client claims her civil rights were violated by the officer. 'I would hope that at some point they would take some action against this guy, which would involve, at a minimum, termination of his employment.' Corrections officials said last week that they have not been served with the lawsuits and could not comment on them. They said, however, that inmates commonly file groundless lawsuits and complaints against them. Sanchez, whom the lawsuits refer to as Santiago Sanchez, remains on active duty at the prison despite an ongoing year-long Department of Corrections internal affairs investigation into various complaints of misconduct against him. In addition to allegations made by the women in the lawsuits, investigators are also looking into claims that the officer had raped inmates, had inappropriate contact with released prisoners and smuggled drugs and other contraband into the prison, court records show. One of the women who filed the lawsuits has been paroled from prison and the second has been transferred to a different facility and is due to be released by the end of March. |
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