Correctional Guards at Citrus County Jail Subject of Federal Lawsuit for Allegedly Defecating, Urinating in Inmates' Food; One Guard Admits Guilt

Summary

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Tennessee-based Corrections Corp. of America, which manages six other correctional facilities in Florida and is the sixth largest private prison operator in the nation, has been accused of negligent hiring. [Kevin Hessler] and [Alexander Diaz] are accused in the lawsuit of having "intentionally and repeatedly fed the plaintiffs urine and fecal matter, even after the plaintiff protested and resisted" vigorously. The lawsuit also alleges that the inmates were subjected to torture as well as cruel and unusual punishment, and those there civil rights were violated repeatedly.

Attorney Grant stated that [Charles Mulligan] was negligent in not reporting the incidences sooner to prison authorities or outside law enforcement officials. "The very people they depend on to protect and keep them safe are the very ones abusing them," he said, speculating that Corrections Corp. of America may have had an ulterior motive for not 'rocking the boat,' given that it was in negotiations with the Citrus County Commission to construct an add-on to the county jail that would entail some 360 new beds. Grant's claim has been stridently denied by spokespersons for Corrections Corp. of America.

The company also decried the actions of its employees saying, "The company has a zero-tolerance policy for any conduct of that nature," stated Steven Owen, responding to the lawsuit. "Once senior management learned of the actions they took swift action and terminated the three employees."

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Correctional Guards at Citrus County Jail Subject of Federal Lawsuit for Allegedly Defecating, Urinating in Inmates' Food; One Guard Admits Guilt

Inmates who fell ill, suffering from "vomiting, stomach cramps and nausea," had complained repeatedly that their food smelled and tasted horrible, but were forced to consume the food or go without eating.

While much of the world's attention has been riveted on Abu Ghraib prison in Ir...

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