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Alabama Dept. of Corrections
Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women in Alabama is facing complaints of sexual misconduct by guards.
Sexual misconduct by male correctional staff toward inmates at Alabama's Tutwiler Prison for Women is "commonplace" and has resulted in numerous women becoming pregnant while incarcerated, a complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Justice alleges.
Equal Justice Initiative, a private nonprofit organization, filed the complaint about the all-female prison in Wetumpka, Ala., Tuesday after receiving dozens of claims of sexual misconduct involving male staff between 2004 and 2011.
In interviews with more than 50 women incarcerated at the prison, EJI said it discovered "frequent and severe officer-on-inmate sexual violence," ranging from women being coerced into performing sexual favors in exchange for contraband goods to rape by a male correctional staff member while another male officer served as a lookout.
Even in instances in which abuse was confirmed, perpetrators received little more than a slap on the wrist, EJI Executive Director Bryan Stevenson told msnbc.com.
"In the last two years, the person who received the harshest sentence was a man who got six months in jail," Stevenson said. "This was for a woman who was raped and became pregnant. The baby was born, and DNA confirmed it was his."
Had the rape occurred outside prison confines, the sentence could have been 50 years to life in prison, he said.
"It actually makes you think you can do this with impunity," he said.
Instead of punishing the staff committing the offenses, Tutwiler punished the women when they tried to report the incidents, Stevenson said. Anyone who reported sexual abuse at Tutwiler was called a liar by the warden and routinely placed in segregated cells with privileges revoked.
Tutwiler Prison Warden Frank Albright did not return a phone call from msnbc.com on Wednesday, but the Alabama Department of Corrections said it has a zero-tolerance policy for sexual offenses.
“This is a matter of grave concern to me,” Alabama Corrections Commissioner Kim Thomas said in a press release. “From the beginning of my watch, I have made it very clear to my staff that custodial sexual misconduct will not be tolerated and is an especially egregious offense to me. We take every action possible to prevent it from happening and if it does, we undertake prompt corrective employee discipline and pursue criminal prosecution where applicable.”
But according to EJI's investigation, the Alabama Department of Corrections has been under-reporting data on sexual misconduct. None has been provided since September 2010, despite at least four Tutwiler employees being indicted on charges of abuse during 2011, according to court records.
Report: Nearly 10 percent of inmates suffer sexual abuse
The Department of Justice did not respond to msnbc.com's questions about how they are handling the complaint.
It's not clear from the EJI's investigation how many claims of sexual harrassment the group has received from the prison, which has a capacity of 956 inmates.
Just last week, the Justice Department published a report on sexual abuse in state prisons, local jails, and post-release treatment facilities across the country. Nearly one in 10 prisoners suffers sexual abuse while incarcerated, the report said.
In 2007, a Justice Department report ranked Tutwiler as the women's prison with the most sexual assaults, and 11th among all the prisons studied.
Even after the 2007 federal report, Tutwiler policies on sexual miscconduct continued to be lax, Stevenson alleged.
"Male guards shouldn't be going into the showers and exploiting the vulnerability of women when they're naked and exposed," Stevenson said. "Many states have regulations that restrict these kind of breaches. They haven't done that at Tutwiler."
In fact, Stephenson thinks sexual assault is even more widespread at the prison than his group has found.
"We think there are a lot more people who have information that they want to share that didn't feel comfortable doing that," he said. "I'm hoping the public exposure and scrutiny will make people feel comfortable to step forward."
Since filing the complaint, EJI has heard from many women who alleged abuse.
"We've gotten some calls this morning from women who seemed so grateful and relieved that finally, some light has been shed on this."
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Leave a Comment:
Well it is Alabama..they don't respect woman down there just look at their social policies
Right.....and how many men from other states use the word "Ma'am" while speaking to women?
Addressing someone as "Ma'am" means absolutely nothing if the speaker then proceeds to rape the woman. Good lord - where are your priorities?
So now everybody in Alabama is a rapist? Please explain.
Your got to be joking Rick, this @!$%# happens all across the country. Watch the ID reports and even Mass LE is just as bad. Lib strong hold......
That does not give anybody the right to do what is alleged they did to the women. That is just plain sick and reflects just the type of people this country raises.
Sad, very sad, and nothing to be proud of. Alabama or not, I bet this happens in other States as well.
@Rick, you can't be serious?
@Matt, I live in Wisconsin..my husband addresses every woman as 'ma'am' and every man as 'sir' with no exception. Just how he was raised, has nothing to do with what region of the US he lives in.
Doesn't matter what state this occurred in, it could happen anywhere. Just because these women are 'criminals' doesn't mean they deserve to be victimized this way. It's sickening.
Isn't Alabama a red state?
Here's an idea.... Don't want to get raped in a prison by other women in prison, men in prison or correctional staff etc! Don't be a friggin' criminal.
theyoutta be glad theyre gettin a little co k!! on the outside theyd be givin it away, they probably live a little nicer for given a little head
I'm picturing "Buck" from "Kill Bill".
Fed Up - are you kidding? About 25% of all prisoners are innocent of the crimes they're convicted of. Nobody deserves to be raped, especially innocent people.
As a woman from Alabama, I can personally vouch that people do have respect for women there overall (of course, there are always exceptions, like these prison guards). Ma'am is a commonplace term, just as it is in many other states across the country. That said, I am disgusted and saddened by this news story. Those guards deserve some SERIOUS punishment, starting with being fired and put in prison themselves. The warden deserves EVEN MORE punishment for allowing this type of misbehavior on his watch and effectively condoning it by calling the women liars, not reporting it, and keeping the offending guards on staff.
Your list includes Hank Williams and Jim Nabors. Not exactly people that I would use to try to get the point your trying to make across. Also did the inventor you listed Mr. Semon happen to invent the Shout-It-Out stain stick? Just curious.
I don't get why they don't only hire female guards. In most countries that's what is done to prevent this and it works. Come on people!!
GoJoBiden....How many of those folks on your list continued to be residents of Alabama after they became famous? I think most of them couldn't wait to get the heck out of there. That being said, I've been thru there and found the state very beatiful and the people friendly. But then again, I'm white and had alot of money to spend.
Fire the men and hire women..and most definitely a female warden.
I moved to Alabama in 2010 from Illinois and I am happoer here. People ar emore polite, and it seems the driving is the one thing they have a problem doing correctly. Otherwise, Rick, you are very wrong.
Jim-3113262 - At least Fed Up-3261941 is consistent. Just a bit ago, there was an article about rape in male prison populations, and everybody was pro-rape. Now that it's women, people seem to be offended by the situation.
As for myself, I'm anti-rape in all situations. I know it's not a popular position to take, but I stand by it!
I just dumbfounded that these guards are not using protection (Please don't misunderstand I do not agree with the abuse) but there are now children coming into this world under these circumstances. I bet most of those guards are married. And how awful for them to go home to their wife and give them an STD.
Again, I am totally against this behavior, but in reality it is happening.
You're basing this on the assumption that they are ALL guilty of a crime. There could be innocents in there. Wasn't there a report just recently which said there ARE innocents in jail for crimes they never committed?
if it was the other way around I don't think the guys would be complainin' ;-)
I'm right there with you!
Well for one thing, men don't get pregnant moron.
How come no one says anything about this happening in men's prisons? The comments are usually about them "getting what is coming to them." As someone already pointed out, about 25% of the prison population is innocent, and that is intolerable.
It doesn't matter if the prisoners are guilty or not, these guards should be taken out and shot, or at the very be put into the general population of a male prison so they can receive the same treatment (and then shot later).
no one, not one single person deserves to be raped. Rape is the same as being brutally beaten and even worse it is being beaten in the most private of places. It is degredation and soul stripping and should be punished with the same vehemence as murder. This happened to women who are incarcerated and that doesn't matter, what matters is they are being victimized by the very system that is suppose to be in charge and responsible for them. Maybe there should only be women guards since the animals they put in to watch these women can't even follow the law themselves.
it has nothing to do with Alabama; it has to do with, placing prisoners in small local Jails, not real prisons, so the town can support their law enforcement; our real Jails are busting at the seams, they are outsourcing to private jails and small town Jails; the real prisons have guards that must be certified and trained as certified correctional officers (and yes you will still get some bad apples), the private prisons are hiring tier guards off the streets and paying very little money; our large real prisons are overloaded with illegal immigrants, and hard time convicts, except for the Federal prisons and several well run State prisons, our prison system in in a state of collapse.
@ leonhl - I meant a female prison gaurd with a male inmate......you moron. and she could get pregnant
GoJo you forgot one....Lionel Richie Tuscaloosa
Definitely a male dominated society in most of the south. They just make it impossible for a woman to get a legal abortion in Mississippi, and Bubba said if poor woman have to go back to self abortions with coat hangers so be it. Bubba dont care as long as he is able to impose his moral beliefs on everyone. Now this.
Now, not everyone is like Bubba, but he WAS elected.
saxon: Wetumpka is on the outskirts of Montgomery in case you didn't know, not small town, just an fyi
Some of these comments are disgusting and indicative of the mindset of millions of men in this country when it comes to rape. The idea that someone can "deserve" to get raped is alive and well among a certain class.
As for Alabama, my folks were born and raised there. You can have it.
Intentional coverup and knowledge of these events by prison officials should be treated as bad as the sex offense itself. They are the look-out guys for the perpetrating guards. Look-outs in the outside world get slapped with sex offender registration for similar activities. These "officials" should be charged and treated the same way. Corporate/Govt cover-ups of crimes is even more despicable because people in positions or power, authority and control are taking advantage of their prisoners/subservients. Ugly ugly ugly. No wonder rape is so rampant in prisons. As long as the govt and authorities don't take it seriously and think the same rules apply inside as outside the walls, then this heinous crime will never be put in check.
aah, what do you expect from a red state?..........worst schools in the country, overwhelming born again Christian conservatives, more abortions per capita and the highest rates of purchasing pornography on credit cards in the country. Aaah yes the red neck paradise.................no thanks!
This happens everywhere in the US. Whoever thinks these are just a few isolated incidents have their heads stuck up their asses. I do believe it's more common in southern and western states though.
GoJoBiden, how could you forget Bart Starr? Born, raised, college and retired there and still running his charity from there.
Rick...I'm from North Alabama, and you're an idiot if you honestly believe that this behavior is accepted in our state. You obviously know nothing about our state or the people who live here. Everyone I know that moves here from other states, loves it and wants to stay. Women are treated with respect here. Alabamians are also very educated. This area is full of technology, Military and NASA jobs...get your facts straight before making stupid comments about things you know nothing about.
Hey GoJoBiden - The only thing that your list of accomplished Alabamans have in common is that they left the state to go live and flourish elsewhere. Alabama is historically a corrupt, intolerant state. Of course, the entire state cannot be painted with the same brush. I'm sure there is good in Alabama, equally sure I wouldn't want to be at the mercy of the good ol boy, prison guards in that state. - C (NYC)
Yea we are morally better as a nation my @$$. Our prison system as well as the justice system is a shame and a disaster, just read an article yesterday that there are at least 2000 wrongful convictions recorded in the past few decades and that's just what has been found thus far they are finding more and more wrongful convictions retroactively and this is mostly because are police is lazy and incompetent as well as on a power trip.
I think rick is referriing to all of the anti choice legislation that is going down in the South. It is pretty insane that the church runs the legislation down there.
This has nothing to do with just southern states. It has to do with abuse of power over helpless individuals in female and male prisons. Absolutely NO ONE, male or female, deserves to be raped in prison. Prison officials and guards that allow it are sub-human and should be punished in the harshest terms.
Those posters that pooh pooh about rape are more than likely potential rapists themselves and at the very least cowardly and weak individuals (I can't even call them people).
Rape is a brutal crime and most degrading. Some can not recover from the baseness of it. To call ourselves a great country and allow this brutal criminal behavior is shameful.
I don't care what state they are in...if anyone did this to one of my loved ones they would have their testicles trimmed and left in their mouth, tied up outside the prison as a warning to the others.
Flag waver and Chris3015805....
What arrogant jerks you both are!! I am an Alabama native and I would not ever want to live anywhere else. You Northern people have such a tainted view of our state, yet you continue to move here to work and to retire. Who ever heard of a Southener retiring and moving up North?? As children we were taught respect and courtesy, traits that are sadly lacking in most of you Northern trash!! Ya"ll just leave us Southerners and especially Alabama residents alone!! We don't want or need your comments. We are FINE just the way we are!!!!
Saxon, Our prisons are overflowing with drug related criminals. If we decriminalize drugs we'd have room for all the violent prisoners and for the guards who like to rape people. Treat druggies like we do alcoholics, if you drive high - act crazy - or get violent you get jail. If you want to do drugs - go ahead - it's a FREE Country...or so we hope... and prison doesn't cure drug addicts it trains them, while rehab is cheaper.
if it was the other way around I don't think the guys would be complainin' ;-)
You wouldn't complain if a woman beat you down and anally raped you with a strap-on? Interesting.
Everyone's innocent in prison, right?
A close relative of mine and her cellmate several years back were both sexually assaulted in Illinois--this is not a problem unique to the south, or red states, or prisons versus local jails. This occurs for the same reasons that we hear about teachers abusing students and daycare providers abusing children: some abusers intentionally seek employment in positions of trust over vulnerable populations. Vigilant screening and zero tolerance for abuse and administrators who allow it is the best place to start.
I'm from AL and have lived around the country. It's a beautiful state alright but to those who said Bama has the most beautiful girls...Not so. Go west to find those. Alabama is in the top 5 or so of the most obese people so...lots of fat people here. And, if you aren't a christian conservative you are a minority. And, if you think or live outside of the box you're looked at kinda funny and may be ostracized. And, if you have a degree you more often than not will be a conceited jerk off...particularly IT types who are the BIGGEST prima donnas down here. I am here to see my parents off as they are in their golden years and then I'm going somewhere else.
GOJO - Here are a few more Alabamians to add to your list:
Robert Van De Graaff - Tuscaloosa, AL Invented the Van De Graaff Generator - which enabled the development of the modern Particle Accelerator - the birth of nuclear physics!
Jimmy Wales - Huntsville, AL Founder of Wikipedia
John Hendricks - Huntsville, AL Founder of the Discovery Channel
Mike Brown - Huntsville, AL Astronomer who "killed Pluto" - He discovered Trans-Neptunian Objects!
Condelezza Rice - Birmingham, AL - Secretary of State under George Bush.
Truman Capote - Born in New Orleans, raised in Monroeville, AL childhood friend of Harper Lee who Wrote "In Cold Blood"
Also - Alabama was the first state in the nation to create an Educational Public Television Network - APT TV in 1960 !
Dogma Bites - try Florida. We have some of the same element but there's a bit of a mix here. The beaches are great and we have some wonderful wild life (woods and stuff).
Alabama-native 12345
You want to be the pot or the kettle.. Seems to me you just insulted Northern people the same way people did Alabama. How does this make you 'respectful' of others???
To those insulting Alabama with your cultural bias.. I assume you are an adult, so why not act like one.
______________________________________________________________________________
WHO CARES where this happened. What matters is this kind of behavior is un-acceptable regardless of where it happens.
It's surprising that it got this bad, but seriously, have we not learned better by now than to put male guards into this type of environment? They have the power to take advantage of these women, and it's only a matter of time until some do. Female prison? Get female guards.
Male prisons should have male guards and female prisons should have female guards. I'm all for equality of the genders, but this is one thing I've never agreed with...mixing the genders in prisons is just inviting trouble.
then it could be the hole or the pole:-)
Alex, You are so correct. Rape is NOT about sex. Rape is about power and inmates (male or female) are some of the most powerless people out there. Yes, they are behind bars because they broke the law, but NO ONE deserves to be violated in the worst sense of the word because they broke the law.
It is time that we start revising the psychological profiles that our penal system uses to hire correctional officers. The vast majority of CO's are a hardworking, rule abiding team, but there are always bad apples. The problem is that the majority are afraid to point out the bad apples. If they do, there is always payback of some kind. Either from the inmates themselves (who were getting what they wanted from the rotten COs) or from the Warden, who is more interested in his/her own power plays and keeping their statistics looking good.
Why is it that we always place the least educated and vetted (checked out) in charge of our most defenseless? (Think correctional offices, foster parents, etc.)
Because female guards are incapable of sexually assaulting another female?
Why are men allowed to work as guards at women's prisons? Well it's because some people think it would be "unfair" and "intolerant" to men and women to segregate the guards based on the sex of the guards. They think it would be unfair to the guards to allow only women to guard women's prisons and vice versa to the guards! They do not take the safety of the inmates to heart that is why!
As disgusting as this is, this is but a tip of the iceberg. They're pigs for preying on these women! Convict these criminals and incarcerate them.
Remember the Sixties Women wanted equal rights, That is how this started in the prison system for men and women facilities:::: The article should have included how many asked for sex ?????? Where does the money come from for this group to do these kind of resurch???? [TAX Dollars maybe]
yes, these men need to rot in prison where prisoners would be raping them, but they would probably like it
Prison rape is extremely common in the United States, and is much more often directed against men than women. At the same time, the physical structure of prison units in the common architectural designs allow for 24/7 surveillance of all inmates at a very nominal cost to prison operations.
Those two facts together mean only one thing: prison rape is an encouraged part of the 'prison experience'. Our culture seems to have no real problem with the use of rape as punishment. Indeed, several posts on this board reflect that sentiment. Of course, this is all very well hidden by the fact that none of this is sanctioned by law, which means that our laws do not reflect who we are as much as they reflect how we want others to view us.
In this case we have our cake and are eating it too. We get to be ugly, evil and brutish, hiding behind the shiny veneer of an ineffectual, civilized law. Combined with our recent interest in the use of torture for the purpose of retribution, our collective culture seems now to have more in common with Iran than with England.
Our beautiful country has become a fart in the room of civilized nations.
I bet the women in there are not near as bad as the ones that put them in there, and the ones that are to care for them what is justice what a joke. Why do you think they do strip searches so much, who knows whats in any of there heads, i think the dark ages should end i,m not sure what the answer is but i,m tired of hearing about the ones the people pay to watch over them are raping and mudering the people and the homeless any easy target they find come on someone has to have some power to stop it.
Here is a perfect example of what's wrong with our slimy Prison System... That Slimball Warden needs to go to Prison for at least 10 years and everyone else also ...enough of this Crap of System.... that thinks its above the Law..... to the Ladys..... Class action Multi-Million Dollar Lawsuit!!!!!!!!! and child support
How much do you want to bet that if it's men being abused in prisons, no one would care?
I feel especially sorry for non violent offenders who get locked up of both sexes. This is why so many people who get out of prison are repeat offenders. Their self worth is knocked down to nothing and then when they get out they just fall back on what they learned in prison. Prison's are places of advanced learning for violence and criminal activity. The young are particularly vulnerable on this note.
Randomperson: We don't really have to guess, do we? You've already won that bet. Male homosexual rape is the subject of a lot of 'witty' jokes about prison, and is routinely advocated throughout our culture as a particularly satisfying punishment for crime. How many times have you seen a movie where the 'hero' smugly tells his criminal adversary not to drop the soap, etc? Cue audience laughter.
FIRST : Fire Alabama Corrections Commissioner Kim Thomas
Second: Fire and prosecute all the personnel immediately
I would!
Having been a victim of prison abuse, I can unequivocally say that NO ONE, male or female, ever 'deserves it' unless they are guilty of having done it themselves first.
Our constitution is meant to protect us from this. Yet this week when a riot breaks out at one, everyone posted against the inmates. Welcome to the plutocracy, democracy died with the conspiracy of the elite implemented beginning way back in the time of Prescott Bush. Having borne the child of a rape, I know what these women face. I was able to love the child and put the rapist behind me, but we have been utterly poor and alone all along. No one helped me when I needed it most, so I'm a few steps from homeless. But my son is in University. We overcame through the miraculous and constant intervention of God. How many of these women can count on that? These men should be convicted of taking a life, they took the life the women and children would have had. The damage could go on for generations. Sickening.
Let's treat this situation with some reality.
A court should order DNA tests of all these prison guards, and of all the children who were conceived while their mothers were in prison there. The results should be verified, and any verified guard-child linkage should result in prosecution of that guard.
It does not matter if a guard or prisoner says that the sex was "consensual"; sex between prison guards and prisoners - (besides being of a somewhat...kinky nature) - should result in prosecution of the guard. Period.
Let's see one of these 'activist organizations' press for such DNA tests.
Maybe we should have supported the Gay marriage laws sooner—boners up..
If I had my way to deal justice on these guilty men, they would be castrated and then incarcerated for life in solitary confinement.
Interesting response. Just a few days ago MSNBC published a report that stated More than three-quarters of all reported staff sexual misconduct involved a male inmate with female staff. So, do we castrate the male prisoners, or what do we do with the female offenders?
Key word there is 'reported'. Most men are not all that willing to admit they've been raped by another man.
Omg D2-1099490 don't say that! Now every guy reading your post wants to go to prison...
The punishment for rape should at least be the same inside the prison as it is outside of the prison. I mean 6 months incarceration for rape inside the prison as opposed to 50 years for rape on the outside?
Justice is no longer available in this country but vindication is coming. A growing number of Americans who are frustrated with a corrupt political and financial system in this country are more outraged every day. There will be an American resonse and it won't be pretty.
Sharpen the guillotine.
The one percent want there interests protected and with money you can buy justice dont try legal aid u will hang.
This is a serious trick bag of problems all around.
1. Male staff have no legal right to have sexual contact with inmates ever, period. Even if consentual it is not legal.
2. Supervision and screening are vital to control and prevent these types of staff from being in these positions.
3. Female inmates have histories of consenting only to have something to hold over staff to encourage contraband and favortism.
4. Traditionaly females prisons are fewer than male prisons so if you staff with all female guards they receive fewer promotional and advancement opportunity so lawsuits follow which force administrators to staff male prisons with female guards and female prisons with male guards and you have these issues in both now.
There are certain situations in which it is legal.
Agree 100% as long as the ones doing the supervising and screening are sticking to the rules too.
Some do. Most of us just want to be left alone.
Even with all of the "rules" that are supposed to protect prisoners from guards raping them, it still happens, which means the punishment is not severe enough. The guards should be held to a higher standard and a more severe punishment than a civilian.
To pay damages to the prisoners and to punish the guards, they should have to trade places!
Prison guards are cut from the same tin as cops: Most of them are on a power trip, like to be in control and have no qualms with "setting up" a person who dares to question their authority.
Any found guilty should receive the same prison sentence as a civilian rapist, molester or abuser. Scratch that. They should be given twice the sentence. And the warden (the pedophile priest of this organization) belongs right there with the guilty guards.
A Correction Officer is a lower form of life from your regular Cop. The CO's did not graduate high school and had to settle for baby sitting the scum of the earth the rest of their lives. They are pissed all the time dealing with $hitheads, then their balls itch, and they have to scratch the itch. Not that this is an excuse.
They should be thrown in general population WHERE they committed the crime. Turn the lights off, lock er down and nature will provide the just punishment......
"Most of them" are not on a power trip. I know a LOT of CO's, and only a couple of them have big heads.
It's a great paying job. I'm not on a power trip and I've recently thought about giving it a try, just because the pay is so good.
Both CO's and PO's are higher "forms of life" than S2S. I'm sure there are some who aren't. Maybe a couple.
@seven2seven - I don't know which prisons you are looking at, but the ones here require a minimum of a high school diploma and several years in the workforce or a college degree. Most the officers are not wannabe cops on a power trip, but rather college graduates who are unable to find a job as a police officer.
Yes, there are bad corrections officers, as there are bad cops, bad teachers, bad waitresses, and those who are bad at any job in the world, but to say they are all that does nothing more than show ignorance.
I am going to go out on a limb here and guess that you have, at some point, found yourself on the wrong end of the law and therefore feel that all cops, corrections officers, judges and everything else are on a power trip and just trying to hold you down. Of course, it couldn't have anything to do with the fact that you did something wrong in the first place.
The guards should NOT get the SAME sentence as a civilian rapist, they should get a MUCH more severe sentence as THEY are supposed to be the ones held to a higher standard and protecting those who have no means of protecting themselves.
There must be many in the system who knew about this going on - but it is hard to fire family and they are all probably related in some way.
Prison Warden Frank Albright-You knew this was going on and you looked the other way. Hope you are fired, sued, prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law....and all your guard buddies with you!!!!
Natdom, yes you went out on a limb and it broke. A couple of my neighbors are Sheriffs and they are great. They can tell stories about the CO's that would open your eyes. The poker parties are fine until the Neanderthal CO's show up and are basically dicks as they are in everyday life.
That's my experience unlike your newsvine fictional drool you spew out over and over.........barf.
Newsvine fictional drool that I spew? Seriously? And what exactly would that be?
My husband is a CO, as are a good majority of his friends; and yes, they tell stories about bad CO's that they would love to see on the other side of the bars (both male and female), they are not the majority and it certainly doesn't make them all "a lower form of life from your regular Cop. The CO's did not graduate high school and had to settle for baby sitting the scum of the earth the rest of their lives. They are pissed all the time dealing with $hitheads, then their balls itch, and they have to scratch the itch."
i agree Darrel maybe three times and the beatings they give people everyday on routine they should get a dose of daily
Seven2Seven really...you sound like you might have been behind the bars at one time. I have a husband, son, sister and a lot of friends working behind those bars and yes while it only does require a high school diploma, it also required going to school to do this, around 500 hours. Most of these also have college educations to go along with this training and deal with the scum of the earth everyday. People who like to make weapons out of their own feces and throw them at the officers, or even other inmates, people who save their own urine and feces to throw on people...yeah you would get a little tired of that too. Why do you not watch lock up on msnbc a few times to know what they have to deal with everyday before you judge. I agree that some of them do not need to be in this kind of job but like someone else has already posted. They have teachers that do not need to teach, the have doctors that need their medical license suspended...no matter what your occupation there is always going to be someone that does not need to be there but for the most part they have a job that is hard that they do not get recognized enough for. They do this job and keep murderers, rapist and robbers behind bars, and they do it with no weapon but a can of gas on their side.
My husband used to be a CO and he has a high school diploma and is quite intelligent. He also is a very moral person who would never take advantage of someone else.
....prosecute every last one of them and also any prisoner who attempts this with another prisoner.....it's beyond time to stop this in all prisons ......
If the government cant take care of these people and protect them maybe some of them should have a stay there.
The punishments for such behavior should be as severe as possible, but it's the south.... Where Barbour let murderers go free.....
8 deleted, LaniMirc sharing their rape fantasy. Keep it to yourself.
You're suspended for a week for violating #5 of the Code of Honor.
That the Alabama Department of Corrections doesn't know this is going on is a total lie. They don't want to know. How is it that these stereo types of southerners come true. A stinking prison warden running things juuuuuusst how he likes it, letting the guards do juuuuuusst what they want to. And those allegedly in charge, are too stupid or too corrupt to do anything about it.
It has happened in other states. That does not excuse it, but Alabama is not alone.
Correct! I love the Corrections Commissioner's defense "Gee, I told 'em not to do it..." Didn't do a damn thing to enforce the rules or to punish infractions and countenanced the cover-ups, but, you know, he "told 'em not to do it (and get caught)..."
the guards probably pay off the warden so they can get a little ;-)
Prisons have to file reports that become public knowledge. If a prison has a bad record, that reflects poorly on the administration. The problem? The administration is responsible for filing the reports, so in essence they have to report on themselves - and they're reluctant to do that.
So an awful lot gets swept under the proverbial rug.
Time for a new system.
I suggest that for women-prisons the guards be gay men, and for male prison the guards should be lesbians. Problem solved :))
and prisoners will stop wanting to go there. Bad for business.
Alabama needs to set an example: Prosecute and jail these guards. This is so sad. Imagine the victim is your sister, your mom, or your wife.
Or your brother, or father, or cousin...sexual assault is sexual assault whether done by other inmates or guards. The guard part hits us harder becasue they are "entrusted" with maintaining the safety of the inmates. Sexual assault in prison or wherever is not ok... ever.
think when they get out theyll committ another crime???????????????
So what are you saying, Wiz? That raping these women taught them a lesson? You're an idiot.
And your other remark: the guards probably pay off the warden so they can get a little ;-)
Get a little? You podunk piece of trash. Hope they boot your sorry ass off this site. I fear for any woman within 20 miles of your goat-smelling ass.
TD from Orange County, yes Alabama does need to set an example. I couldnt even begin to think what I would do if it was a female or male family member that this happened to.. I understand that the ladies are in prison but they are still human. No matter what they did to get in prison this is one thing no one deserves at all. I am and still live here in Alabama and I just cant understand why someone would do such a thing. It makes me sick to my stomach.. I hope and pray that those guards get what they deserve and when the tables are turned they will be sitting in prison with BUBBA!!!
Sure....hopefully it will be shootin some rapin' correctional officer.....but that really wouldnt be a crime would it?
Of course they will. Much easier to get a date on the inside.
Maybe not if they're more forgiving than I am. If I were an inmate in that jail and was raped by a guard and forced to give birth to his child, that guard would be smart to leave the country before I was released.
Face it, inmates in women's prisons do NOT tend to be sexpots as portrayed in b-movies from the 1970's. So a lot of these allegations may be made up.
I bet they made up that whole being pregnant part too. ;o)
Because men only rape women who are 'attractive'. Uh-huh. Yeah, right.
Well, if a woman has a baby while incarecerated and she's making up the allegation of sexual attack, then it's the immaculate conception and the Lord has returned as promised. Halleluia!!
So you think only pretty women get raped and only ugly old women go to prision? Rape is an act of violence. It has nothing to do with looks. And why would they need to make it up? law enforcement/soldiers have been raping women since time began so why would this be a stretch? I am a woman and just about every woman I know or have met has been raped or mollested in some fashion. Rape is an every day occurance in many countries. Women are the number one most persecuted group on the planet.
I was going to call you an idiot but I don't really have to now, do I? Thank you everyone else who posted before me.
What a totally absurd and stupid comment. Rape is not about how good the victim looks. It is a brutual criminal act.
and how many are telling these bleeding hearts at Equal Justice Initiative exactly what they want to hear. They will not follow up to confirm since it might upset their predefined results.
This sounds like the plot to a movie.
Or a Law and Order episode
Law and Order SVU get it right Tony LOL
LOL, you are right. One of the guards is later killed, and Who Done It!
Season 9 had an episode called 'Undercover' where Detective Benson went undercover at a women's prison to expose guard sexual abuse of prisoners when a female prisoner's child who came to visit her mother was raped. Detective Benson nearly got raped too, prevented by the timely arrival of Detective Tutuola who was undercover as a guard. She had PTSD afterward.
Amanda-2017567 - I remember that episode! But I don't watch SVU anymore. I always change the channel now if it comes on. I mean, how many times can you watch depictions of rape without wanting to puke?
I write scripts for the show. And fr me, the point is not that it happens, but how they solve it, the new technologies involved that help get justice, and the debate when you get a case where both parties were both in the wrong but the judgment was stacked against one party, sometimes unfairly.
It's cathartic for me, that one episode particularly, because I've been there. I may be denied justice but others who do the same things may be luckier than I was/am.
I love SVU! Sad that Stabler is gone but I love True Blood and he is going to be on there hopefully with his shirt off.... whoops didn't mean to say that out loud.
Amanda-2017567 - So you're the Amanda Green?
I'm sorry that happened to you. I can understand your stance about focusing more on how they solve it. It's just tough (for me) to handle such weighty issues, e.g. child abuse, and remain entertained. (Ironically, my avatar is from the Death Wish movie poster.)
Too bad you didn't get a gig writing for CI. Bobby Goran/Vincent D'Onofrio rules!!! (Although, you'd be out of a job now.)
I couldn't help but giggle when the warden accused them of being liars. Coming from a family with a long history of law enforcement, one thing I've learned about our judicial system is they are not going to admit when they're wrong. And in the rare instances that wrong cannot be ignored and something is said, there is little or no accountability. Kinda sounds like our government, don't it?
What immaculate conception with the one with DNA proof??
The attorney's for these State of AL female inmates should contact the attonerny's that won a big settlement from the State of MI for the same issues with the women's prisons. Because the guards were thinking with the wrong head State of MI had to make big payouts to the sexual absued inmates.
I agree, take enough of the community's money and they'll care more.
Those women should get together, find themselves a pack of hungry lawyers and sue.
then theyll really get fuc ed
wizard-1536439
You have made quite a few obnoxious posts. Do hope you're momma's proud of you. I cannot fathom why your posts on this subject have not been deleted.
TYLER???????
JerseyGirl has just been up tight ever since getting out of that Alabama prison.
nibor;
That was out and out rude. Newsvine code of honor--Address the issues, not other people.
And FYI, I've found Wizard's posts quite obnoxious as well, as someone who has been in prison and was molested.
And while I'm at it, I find some of your posts to be quite obnoxious as well.
Amazing.. when people talk about mens prison and rape.. its all jokes and how they deserve it for being in prison. But when its a womens prison its a horrible atrocity with the feds and media getting involved.. hypocrisy much?!??! No one deserves sexual abuse in prison.. but until the media and feds take it as seriously in mens prisons as they do in womens prisons.. I will have no sympathy and offer no support and neither should you.
Let us not forget one important aspect of this. In a mens prison, it's usually other prisoners commiting the assult. In this case, it's the people being paid to overlook them, not other prisoners, although I'm sure some of that goes on in a womens prison (dear Penthouse).
While I condone none of it, I can expect rape and sexual assult from a convict. A correctional officer, not so much. And with all due respect, I don't need you, or anyone else for that matter, informing me of who I should have sympathy for. I pity a lot that most don't.
This is exactly what I was thinking. I read an article recently on the abundance of sexual abuse in prison and the majority of the responses to that article was they got what they deserved. Men deserve to be assaulted in prison...don't go to prison. Now that the same article comes out, but it is a women's prison, the majority opinion is it is disgusting. This should never happen.
Interesting....
So you're saying because you are in prison you deserve to be raped? The only time a man or woman deserves that is if they molested a child. Otherwise, no.
Contrary to what you see in the movies, there are actually some prisoners that just want to do their time and go home. Some don't deserve the sentence they get, while others are innocent.
If you go to prison and become a bully or worse, then you get whatever is coming to you.
Hobgoblin
NO ONE, male or female deserves to get raped in prison by other prisoners or the prison staff. There are countless of us who feel that way. I read articles about men being raped in prison and think it is a heinous crime and the guards either permit it or look the other way.
A person is sentenced to TIME not ABUSE.
as related by highly reliable sources and reported by a highly unbiased organization, the Equal Justice Initiative.
These "men" should be charged with sexual predation, as they are nothing but low life sexual predators. To think that any prison or state administration would cover up for these morons is pathetic. Why not an ombudsman, a confidential one?
Yes, when there are 18 year-olds in prison and tagged for life as a sexual predator for having sex with their 17 year-old girl/boyfriends - every single one of these guards who was in any way involved with this conduct should also be tagged for life and deserves a MUCH longer prison sentence than a normal person committing the same offense. Prison is supposed to be a controlled environment - the only people who can make it that way are the staff. When the staff is out of control, it needs to be replaced as quickly as possible.
Excellent idea! We'll get you dropped into the prison population immediately.
Horrible and unfortunately it happens to both sexes and not just by inmates on inmates. I knew a guy (distant relative) incarcerated in a Federal prison during which time he was forced to give sexual favors to both inmates and guards. He finally did report this to the higher authorities at the prison, which brought on the wrath of a few 'unknown' men. He was brutally kicked, punched, had an arm broken and was totally sexually mutilated. He died in the prison hospital from excess blood loss before they could obtain any.
Matt that is truly horrible. How can we call ourselves a civilized and enlightened society? And then find time to police the world?
my stepson ,who was paralyzed from the waist down , had to use a wheel chair to get around and was so brutally raped in a florida prison that he had to have a colostomy bag- he was afraid to say who did it for fear of retaliation and later died in prison at age 41-
as for men in alabama, i married one- he turned out to be a real sex pervert who was raised by wife swapping bible thumpers- thier theory was that if a husband gave the wife permission to screw around in his presence , it was not adultry- as i found out after it was to late, the whole family was a bunch of sickos- i am extremely happy to be rid of the whole bunch of them-
their attitude reflected that women are on earth for the sole purpose of a man's lust- no thankyou-
That must have been some good smoke but the dream is over now.....
Somebody explain why this prison for WOMEN is being run my MEN. I hope these women make a statement for all women in prison and file a lawsuit based on the fact that their Constitutional rights have been violated, since rape, coersion to have sex and other threats constitutes cruel and unusual punishment.
This is Alabama Mam, where they actually FAIL an I.Q. test!
Speak for yourself, Matt...I doubt you even know what IQ stands for.
Matt, have you ever been to Alabama??? It's next county over from where I am in GA. So, unless you've been there and administered numerous Intelligence Quotient tests, don't be so judgy. Lots of nice places and smart people there.
Some contributors to this board constitute cruel and unusual punishment.
Matt - I didn't realize that YOU were from Alabama!
It Takes Two to Tangle. Hire all Female Correction Officers. Won't stop sexual misconduct but at least nobody should be getting pregnant.
Three, if you count the lookout. Clearly you missed the point of the story.
The women wanted it. Kidding, I know it's a terrible joke.
Tutwiler Prison Warden Frank Albright did not return a phone call from msnbc.com on Wednesday, but the Alabama Department of Corrections said it has a zero-tolerance policy for sexual offenses.
“This is a matter of grave concern to me,” Alabama Corrections Commissioner Kim Thomas.
Write Kim and see who has been the commissioner, then have to governor oust that sack of @!$%#.
Of course she has 'grave concerns'. That is the best way to deflect any blame against the one who deserves it as well, her. She heard about it and she knew about it. She, like everyone else, did nothing and they are following the standard course of action that happens. She has already picked out a head or two to roll and all we need to do is wait and see who below her gets the blame and the scolding, etc. Give it a year and the guards will be partying again.
They should put the warden and all of his cohorts in prison.
I can only hope that every person involved gets incarcerated, and bubba can stop by and say hi
It's Alabama. What would you expect?
WTF Larry?
For the laws to be followed. Same as any State.
The guard who impregnated the inmate should have been prosecuted to the fullest. When the child's DNA matched all bets should have been off. His breach of trust in my mind warranted the full extent of sentencing. I wonder how he would have gotten along in prison having been a guard convicted of that.
Male prison guards should not be directly over women prisoners in any state.