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| More abuse allegations at UCI |
| By zwire.com |
| Published: 08/29/2009 |
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Following new allegations of the beating of an inmate at Union Correctional Institution between Aug. 15 and Aug. 16, Florida Department of Corrections Secretary Walt McNeil ordered the Inspector General's Office to launch a full investigation. The investigation led to the discovery that on Aug. 15, a 47-year-old white male inmate allegedly threw feces at a correctional officer, after which he was removed from his cell and assaulted numerous times by staff members over a two-day period. In a press conference held on Aug. 21, McNeil stated that the incident came to light more than a day after the alleged abuse took place when a DOC employee reported the inmate's injuries. At first, the inmate claimed he had been injured in a fall. It was only after he had transported outside the prison for medical care that he said he had been beaten. "We suspected all along that the injuries were not consistent with a fall," said McNeil. "The inmate's injuries are serious and are reprehensible. I'm grateful to the employee for acting appropriately in reporting this horrendous incident." Four UCI correctional officers and two sergeants were placed on leave pending results of the investigation. In addition, one contract and three temporary nurses were dismissed for failure to report the abuse. The officers placed on leave were Lt. Bennett Kilgore, Sgt. Aaron Coleman, Sgt. Eugene McLemore, Officer John Carter, Officer Sean Johnson, Officer Derek Philip Gibstein and Officer John A. Thomas. The names of the nurses fired were Catherine Collinwood, Tony Davis, Alicia Bettylou Forsyth and Zelda Mae Lee. In an earlier statement released to the press, McNeil had said he intended to bring the full resources of the agency to bear on the individuals responsible for the violent assault, including prosecution, termination and decertification, so they can never work in a correctional environment again. "There is no place in our profession for this depraved mind-set," McNeil said. McNeil said the vast majority of the 28,000 employees in the system are responsible, and noted that staff members reported the beating to their superiors. The inmate, whose name was not released citing federal health laws on confidentiality, was said to be incarcerated for drug offenses. Read More. |
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