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| Inmate sues Corrections Corporation of America |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 06/11/2004 |
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One of two inmates who accused a prison officer of sexually assaulting him in a Kentucky prison is suing the nation's largest private prison corporation. Attorney Thomas W. Costello filed suit Thursday on behalf of a 19-year-old Brattleboro-area (Vt.) man in U.S. District Court against the Corrections Corporation of America of Nashville, Tenn. Costello said the man, who asked to remain anonymous, is seeking $75,000 in damages for psychological injury he suffered from the alleged abuse. The suit also alleges that the man's constitutional right against cruel and unusual punishment had been violated. "We filed this lawsuit to redress an assault on our client and to ensure that this kind of thing never happens again," Costello said Thursday. The suit alleges that Joel Beck - a CCA corrections officer at the Marion Adjustment Center in St. Mary's, Ky. - ordered the man to strip and then performed sex acts on him in April. During the assault, Beck allegedly ordered the man's cellmate to keep watch for other officers. Less than a month later, the plaintiff's cellmate also alleged Beck had molested him, Costello said. The plaintiff had been sentenced in 2003 in Vermont District Court in Brattleboro to serve one to eight years in prison after pleading guilty to possession of stolen property. The man's father, who only identified himself as Jeffrey, said his son was "hysterical" when he described the alleged abuses to his family. The Vermont Corrections Department signed a 29-month contract with CCA in January to provide space for 700 Vermont inmates. Less than a month later, more than 350 inmates - including the men alleging the abuse - were transferred to the privately owned facilities. Corrections Commissioner Steve Gold said both inmates were transferred out of the prison after the abuse was reported, and the officer has since been fired. Another 205 inmates are scheduled to be transferred from the Marion facility to another CCA prison in Lee, Ky., Gold said. Gold said the lawsuit won't have much bearing on Vermont's contract with CCA. Steve Owen, spokesman for CCA, said the company would "aggressively defend" itself against the lawsuit. |
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