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| County jail inmates protest ban on contact visits |
| By St. Petersburg Times |
| Published: 02/23/2004 |
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Inmates at the Hernando County (Fla.) Jail threatened a work stoppage and others refused to return breakfast trays for pickup last Tuesday morning until jail officials take a harder look at its new policy, ending "contact" visits. Last Tuesday's protest came two days after officials from Corrections Corporation of America, the private company that operates the county's jail, formally eliminated the perk to free up room in the 15-year-old facility. In a memo, jail officials said three "housemen," inmates who clean the jail pods, threatened to quit working, and an unknown number of inmates in C-Pod refused to place their breakfast trays outside the unit's doors for pickup, a requirement. C-Pod holds up to 32 inmates. The statement was released last Tuesday afternoon after 26-year-old Roderick Reynolds told a Times reporter that several inmates refused to work and were placed on "lockdown" because they were not adequately notified of the unfair policy. Reynolds also said that corrections officers threatened to use Mace if inmates continued to refuse to work. Jail officials said no inmates were placed on "lockdown" and corrections officers did not threaten to use Mace on inmates if they refused to comply. The jail utilizes natural pepper spray. "(We) treat inmates' concerns seriously," said the memo signed by warden Ellen Hawks and spokeswoman Cathie Sullivan. Sullivan said a memo announcing the end of the privilege had been posted throughout the 302-bed facility since Jan. 15. Officials said they needed to free up two rooms for attorney-client meetings. While officials said that contact visits are a privilege, the new policy affects a relatively small number of sentenced inmates, including about 15 trusties who are usually granted more privileges. The new policy, however, does not affect telephone visits. Officials have been looking for other ways to accommodate inmates affected by the policy, such as granting extra recreation time. |
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