|
|
| Prisoner injured by falling window |
| By The Birmingham News |
| Published: 12/15/2003 |
|
Tutwiler inmate Virginia Hall got a close-up experience with Alabama's deteriorating prisons last month when a window fell on her face, leaving gashes that required at least 16 stitches. Hall, who is two months into a 5-year-sentence for theft and forgery, was reading in her prison bunk when the window and frame fell, according to an incident report from the Alabama Department of Corrections. In response, the department is affixing braces which will limit the windows from opening more than two inches, even though windows are the only source of ventilation in the non-air-conditioned, overcrowded prison. There's no money to replace or properly repair the windows. Without these braces, the windows are a safety hazard, a security hazard, or both, said prisons spokesman Brian Corbett. "These are the original windows that were on the prison in 1942," Corbett said. Tutwiler - Alabama's only prison for women - is under a federal court order after being found unconstitutionally overcrowded and dangerous last year. The window fell on Hall on Nov. 25. An officer noticed her "bleeding heavily" and immediately came to her aid. Six officers, a maintenance supervisor and two nurses responded. The head count at Tutwiler averaged 937 in October, down from 1,246 in February. Tutwiler remains over its capacity. It was built in 1942 to house 364, and was redesigned to hold 617. Prison officials do not yet consider the breaking windows a serious security problem because there are bars over the windows, and a fence around the prison, Corbett said. He blamed inmate tampering with the windows for the hooks that failed, leading to Hall's injuries. Windows at Tutwiler are frequently opened and closed because the dorms are not air-conditioned. Temperatures rise into the 90s in the dorms during the summer with open windows and fans providing the main relief. Corbett said the building disrepair is an ongoing struggle for Alabama prisons, which house inmates for about $9,100 per prisoner per year - the lowest cost in the nation. |
advertise
|
privacy policy
|
add URL
|
about us
|
terms/disclaimer
|
contact us
|
join our team
|
help
Comments:
No comments have been posted for this article.
Login to let us know what you think