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California Wardens Retire Amid Prison Abuse, Suicide Claims
Source: Associated Press
California Wardens Retire Amid Prison Abuse, Suicide Claims
By DON THOMPSON, ASSOCIATED PRESS SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Aug 4, 2016, 11:45 PM ET
The wardens at California's two major women's prisons have retired amid allegations of pervasive problems at both institutions, including sexual abuse of female inmates at one prison and suicides at the other.
The complaints are the latest problem for the corrections department, and come months after the California inspector general found a culture of racism and abuse at a men's prison. A series of lawsuits in recent years forced the state to lower its inmate population and cede control of prisoner health care to a federal receiver.
Aside from sex abuse, guards at the state's largest women's prison in Chowchilla permit fights between inmates, use unneeded force and derogatory names, and retaliate against inmates who complain, said Don Specter, director of the nonprofit Prison Law Office, which investigates inmate mistreatment.
Deborah Johnson, warden at the Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla, and California Institution for Women Warden Kimberly Hughes retired last week.
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By DON THOMPSON, ASSOCIATED PRESS SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Aug 4, 2016, 11:45 PM ET
The wardens at California's two major women's prisons have retired amid allegations of pervasive problems at both institutions, including sexual abuse of female inmates at one prison and suicides at the other.
The complaints are the latest problem for the corrections department, and come months after the California inspector general found a culture of racism and abuse at a men's prison. A series of lawsuits in recent years forced the state to lower its inmate population and cede control of prisoner health care to a federal receiver.
Aside from sex abuse, guards at the state's largest women's prison in Chowchilla permit fights between inmates, use unneeded force and derogatory names, and retaliate against inmates who complain, said Don Specter, director of the nonprofit Prison Law Office, which investigates inmate mistreatment.
Deborah Johnson, warden at the Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla, and California Institution for Women Warden Kimberly Hughes retired last week.
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Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/california-wardens-retire-amid-prison-abuse-suicide-claims-41130243