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| Vt. Commissioner satisfied with inmate assault investigation |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 05/31/2004 |
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Corrections Commissioner Steve Gold said last Tuesday he's satisfied with an investigation into allegations of sexual assault by two Vermont inmates at a private Kentucky prison, and said the state will continue to house prisoners there. Gold said the Marion Adjustment Facility has made changes to staff and training to ensure that similar events will not be repeated. "I'm satisfied that they conducted an aggressive investigation," Gold said. "The plan that they've put fourth addresses the concerns." Since the investigation, Corrections Corporation of America has added an officer to the segregation unit where the alleged assault took place so that more than one officer is on duty at a time, the report by the company said. The prison also has clarified procedures and increased training for entering and exiting the segregation unit and for officers entering cells and removing prisoners, the report said. "A commitment to a greater level of staffing shows the seriousness in which they're taking this because that's an expensive proposition," Gold said. Prison supervisors will also do frequent and regular reviews of login records of staff, the report said. The investigation was launched after one Vermont inmate reported that he had been sexually assaulted by prison officer Joel Becks, who was fired May 3 by Corrections Corporation of America. The initial investigation turned up another Vermont inmate who said he was sexually assaulted by the same officer, Gold said. The two inmates, who have not been identified, were returned to Vermont, where they will serve the rest of their prison terms. Vermont will continue to house prisoners in Kentucky, Gold said. The Corrections Department will also continue to monitor the Kentucky prison and make sure Corrections Corporation of America follows through with its action plan, he said. Vermont has more than 350 inmates housed in prisons in other states because Vermont prisons are full. Almost all of them are in Kentucky; 233 of them are housed at the Marion facility in St. Mary, Ky. |
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