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| Inmates claim abuse by officers at N.H. jail |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 06/03/2004 |
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An inmate at the Hillsborough County (N.H.) jail was kicked in the head by a corrections officer, thrown in solitary confinement, and led naked and shackled from his cell to the shower - before he was convicted of a crime, according to his federal lawsuit. But jail officials say Jason Surprenant had to be physically subdued after threatening a corrections officer, and they deny his civil rights were violated. Surprenant's lawsuit, which pits testimony by inmates against testimony by jail staff, began Wednesday in U.S. District Court. It offers a rare window into life inside the state's biggest county jail. The lawsuit alleges that on July 14, 2002, corrections officer Cesar Rivas falsely reported that a mob of inmates on his cell block tried to take him hostage. Rivas ordered an immediate lockdown and called for emergency assistance on his radio, then identified nine inmates among the mob, including Surprenant. All were "lugged" to the Restricted Housing Unit - known as "the hole" in jail slang. But two former jail inmates, now in state prison, testified there was no mob. They said a couple of inmates had an "animated" discussion with Rivas about why their visiting privileges had been revoked. Then Rivas walked toward the control panel and called "10-33" on his radio - an emergency call for backup used for inmate fights or medical emergencies, they said. Then he called "Lock down!" repeatedly. Surprenant was upstairs on the weight machine when the lockdown was called, went into his cell and knelt facing the wall, said his lawyer, Michael Sheehan. When it was Surprenant's turn to go to the "hole," Officer Ryan LaVierge slammed his face against the cell wall, kicked him in the head and neck, and helped drag him to solitary, where he was held for weeks under inhumane conditions, Sheehan said. John Curran, lawyer for jail Superintendent James O'Mara, Rivas, LaVierge, and the two other corrections officers being sued, questioned the credibility and motives of the inmates. |
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