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| Ex-Correction chief may face questions about Iraq abuse |
| By WTNH |
| Published: 05/24/2004 |
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The former head of Connecticut's prison system may soon be answering questions about the prisoner abuse scandal in Iraq. John Armstrong now oversees Iraq's new prison system. Congressional staffers have called at least one Connecticut lawyer to find out more about John Armstrong's controversial tenure here. It's all part of an effort to get to the bottom of Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal. A video camera captures officers at the Garner Correctional Institution punching an inmate who later died. In another case, the State of Connecticut wound up paying the family of an inmate three million dollars to settle claims the inmate died after officers allegedly used excessive force. The two incidents took place during the watch of former Department of Correction Commissioner John Armstrong. "What you see during the Commissioner Armstrong's tenure at the Connecticut DOC are some very notorious cases," says attorney Antonio Ponvert. Ponvert represents a number of families suing the department and dozens of female correction officers who claim they worked in a persistent atmosphere of sexual harassment under Armstrong. So what has Armstrong been doing since he resigned last year? He's been in Iraq as assistant director of operations of the new Iraqi prison system. "I was pretty shocked and pretty surprised that somebody with the commissioner's background ... would end up so quickly in a position of substantial authority in a place where a very careful and restrained approach was necessary." While a family member says Armstrong is home temporarily, no one answered the door today at his West Haven home. Congress and the Pentagon are investigating everyone associated with running Iraq's new prison system because of the prisoner abuse scandal. |
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