| Operator of Private New Mexico Prison Sued by 7 inmates |
| Thursday, 18 June 2009 07:52 |
SecurityCornerMexico.com Recommended READING: Torture Inc. Americas Brutal Prisons by Thomas Paine. VIDEO - Torture in US Prisons by You Tube. Also Prisoner Abuse: How Different are U.S. Prisons? by Human Rights Watch, Torture photos: US soldiers raped, sodomized Iraqi prisoners
Photo: by Gangs and Prison TattoosBloods & Crips, Norteños & Sureños
By DEBORAH BAKER SANTA FE, N.M. -- The American Civil Liberties Union is suing the operator of New Mexico's newest private prison on behalf of seven inmates who claim they were taunted by guards and videotaped while locked for hours in a shower room. The lawsuit filed Wednesday in federal court in Albuquerque named The GEO Group Inc. and wardens and other employees of the Northeast New Mexico Detention Facility in Clayton. The medium-security men's prison in far northeastern New Mexico opened last summer to house state inmates. The lawsuit, filed by the ACLU of New Mexico, alleges the inmates' constitutional rights were violated in a Dec. 10, 2008, incident. Warden Timothy Hatch declined to discuss the matter, referring inquiries to a GEO spokesman, Pablo Paez, at the company's Boca Raton, Fla., headquarters. "As a matter of policy, our company does not comment on litigation related matters," Paez said in an e-mail. According to the lawsuit, the seven inmates were locked in a cold shower room with little or no clothing for five hours, then coerced into crawling out through a small, dirty hole in the shower wall after guards said they couldn't find the key. The inmates were in the shower room when a disturbance in a neighboring pod prompted a lockdown, and Hatch ordered the seven locked in the shower room, according to the complaint. It said two of the men were naked, while the others wore boxer shorts or had small towels. A female guard filmed the men with a video recorder and "giggled and danced" while doing so, the lawsuit alleges. Other guards passed by and laughed at them, the lawsuit claims. Tear gas from the neighboring pod, where the disturbance occurred, wafted into the shower room and bothered an inmate who had breathing problems, but he was denied access to his inhaler, according to the lawsuit, which seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages. The plaintiffs allege they were kept in the shower without additional clothing or access to a bathroom for three hours after the incident in the neighboring pod had been resolved, and then told they would have to crawl through the hole to get out. Bryan J. Davis, one of the attorneys for the plaintiffs, said in a statement that employees of private prisons aren't adequately trained, and "the inmates suffer the consequences." "It's irresponsible on the part of the private prison companies and the state that contracts with them," he said. According to the New Mexico Department of Corrections, 46 percent of state inmates are housed in privately operated facilities with which the state contracts. The GEO Group has the bulk of those inmates, with prisons in Clayton, Hobbs and Santa Rosa. The Clayton prison has 577 inmates, said department spokeswoman Tia Bland. "The Corrections Department is aware of what happened during this incident. We believe the validity of this lawsuit is questionable," Bland said. She also said the corrections officers at Clayton had received the same training as correctional officers who work at state-operated prisons. © 2009 The Associated Press © Copyright 1996- 2009 The Washington Post Company
The Original Prison GangsHistory and background: There are five original major prison gangs known as "Traditional Prison Gangs." These prison gangs, known for their violence, formed in the 1960's and 1970's in the California corrections system and were originally formed by inmates as a means to protect themselves from other groups and inmate predators. Most prison gangs are found in the states of California, Arizona, Texas and Florida, but they are also in many other states where they have had a major impact on the state prison systems, They have also spread throughout the Federal Bureau of Prisons where they are known as "disruptive groups." In addition to the original prison gangs there are many other prison gangs. Some have similar names but in most cases, have no direct connection to the original gangs other than friendly alliances. Joining the list of of the five traditional prison gangs is a group known as the "Ñetas", which originated in the Puerto Rico prison system and has spread to the United States. This group may be found in prison systems (primarily, the East Coast) that have a Puerto Rican or Hispanic inmate population.These prison gangs, whether Black, Hispanic, or White gangs, are known for their viciousness and violence and use this reputation to maintain power and control over other inmates. The violence includes assaults and murders of inmates, correctional officers and persons outside of the prison walls. The links below offer the viewer different perspectives on the history and backgrounds of the "traditional" prison gangs. More, HERE. The Business of Gangs, Gang Members, and Gang Identification Gangs are our business and we wish to thank you for choosing our web site, Gangs OR Us, to learn about gangs.On our many pages you will find over 1200 external gang videos and text links about street gangs and prison gangs that will teach about street gangs and prison gangs, gang identification of clothing, colors, graffiti, marks, and tattoos, investigations, prosecutions, rivalries, and alliances. When you are ready to begin your search for information, click the categories in the menu on the left side. These categories will take you to many topics concerning street gangs, their prison gang counter-parts and how to identify them. Enjoy your visit and please feel free to come back often. More, HERE. Copyright ©1999-2009 Robert Walker |
