Thursday, September 24, 2009

They give female COs dangerous shifts in retaliation

A settlement was just reached in a lawsuit in Colorado that alleged female corrections officers were intentionally put on the most dangerous assignments in retaliation for objecting to ongoing, pervasive sexual harassment. The prison was operated by CCA since 2003. I hate them because this now permits them to avoid liability for tacitly condoning persistent sexual harassment, and they got out of the situation with what amounted to a slap on the wrist.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Why I Hate LCS today

LCS Correctional Services, one of the bit players in the market, recently had a facility fail an inspection for, among other things, failure to train their COs, a lack of an adequate TB management plan, and not requiring their employees to be licensed by the state. The prison opened just 1 year ago. Oh, and if you want to see the proud faces of a company that can't run a prison properly for even a year, go here:

http://www.lcscorrections.com/site.php

Friday, September 11, 2009

A New Player in the Market

American Private Police Force Organization, Inc., just signed a contract to run its first detention center in Hardin, MT. And in case you were worried that they may not be able to run a secure facility, “The company … claims to be able to organize a special force battalion for deployment within 72 hours.” I don’t anticipate a company with such an MO to have any problems treating inmates properly.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

They Should have Known Better

A lady who died at the Otter Creek CF in Kentucky last year was permitted at the time to refuse medical treatment. The only problem with that is that this woman was mentally ill and refusing treatment for her diabetes. And when someone refuses treatment for reasons connected to their mental illness, the prison has the authority (and responsibility) to mandate treatment.

They cover up sexual assaults

In addition to the assaults that were reported at the Otter Creek CF, CCA covered up at least one other allegation of sexual abuse at the facility, and apparently thinks it doesn't need to meet the same reporting standards as state-run facilities

Business is Booming in Arizona

Arizona just passed a bill that mandates putting 5,000 prison beds up for privatization. CCA, naturally, thinks this is a great business oppportunity.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

They deny books to indigent prisoners

A CCA facility in Arizona has been denying books to prisoners. Though they are probably technically in the right, legally speaking, since the books in question weren’t sent by a publisher, I hate them all the same. Things that are legal aren’t necessarily right.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Contract Finalized

CCA has finalized its contract with Hernando County, FL. It has agreed to reduce its per day cost to $53 per inmate, down from the nearly $60 they would have charged under the current contract. They also will still have to pay liquidated damages (damages to the county if an inmate escapes, etc.). All things considered, I think the county came out of this OK but CCA was still the victor. They're still going to reap ridiculous profits from incarcerating the poor citizens of Hernando County. I worry that the level of care and supervision at the facility will only decrease moving forward, as CCA will still seek the same profit margin from the decreased revenue. I wish I could be more optimistic about this, but....

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Following the Hernando County Contract Dispute

Here are some more details on the contract negotiations taking place between CCA and Hernando County, FL. One thing I'd like to note: CCA has proposed eliminating a provision whereby they would be required to reimburse the county for damage caused by their failure to secure their facility. And the county has unfortunately agreed to this (though I don't understand why).

They even shortchange their own employees

In February, CCA settled a class-action suit involving over 30,000 employees who weren't compensated for a lot of the extra work and overtime they put in. CCA successfully had the settlement sealed by the court, but thanks to the diligent efforts of Prison Legal News, the settlement was unsealed yesterday to reveal that CCA had withheld more than $7 million in back pay from their employees (and that only includes $100 per employee per year worked).