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| Officers File Lawsuit Over Wash. Prison Smoke |
| By The Olympian |
| Published: 06/10/2003 |
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Four Washington state prison officers want to ban inmates from smoking at the Washington Corrections Center in Shelton, according to a lawsuit filed in Thurston County Superior Court. The lawsuit, which was served last week, claims the four officers have suffered health problems from secondhand smoke caused by inmates who are permitted to light up at the facility. The suit names three defendants, including the state of Washington, the Department of Corrections, and Washington Corrections Center Superintendent Carol Porter. The plaintiffs seek monetary damages for medical bills, emotional distress and unspecified health problems caused by the smoky conditions. They also want to be paid for legal fees and request a court order prohibiting inmates from smoking, according to court documents. The plaintiffs are corrections officers Michael Malpass, Rodney Bremer, Henry Trusler and Lisa Jordan. According to the lawsuit, officers have reported numerous times that they were forced to breathe smoke because they must closely supervise inmates. The complaint also claims work areas are polluted with cigarette smoke. There are typically 1,700 prisoners at the corrections center, which is the classification center for all adult male felons before they are assigned to a permanent location. The lawsuit accuses the state and other defendants of breaching their duty to provide a safe workplace under the Washington Industrial Safety and Health Act of 1973. Smoking and secondhand smoke have been linked to cancer, heart disease and respiratory disease. |
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