Tuesday, February 01, 2011
After more than a dozen inmates filed lawsuits over abusive treatment, Hawaii’s new governor, Democrat Neil Abercrombie, has ordered the return of 243 Hawaiian convicts from private prisons in Arizona.
The state had contracted with Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), the nation’s largest private prison operator, to relieve overcrowding in Hawaiian correctional facilities. But the controversy over inmates claiming abuse by CCA prison guards led Abercrombie to bring back at least some of the exported prisoners.
Hawaii’s public safety chairman, Will Espero, told the media: “If we’re going to spend $60 million a year to house inmates, I’d rather spend it here in Hawaii.”
Inmates allege they were subjected to assault and battery, criminal indifference, cruel and unusual punishment, retaliation and negligence. Specific charges include heads being banged on table tops and forced oral sex on a prison guard.
Even with the return of the 243 prisoners to Hawaii, more than 1,750 are still in CCA’s hands in Arizona.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
State Retrieves Inmates From Private Prisons (by Purna Nemani, Courthouse News Service)
Isle Inmates Brought Home (by Nelson Daranciang, Honolulu Star Advertiser)
More Abuse Reported at Private Prison (by Purna Nemani, Courthouse News Service)
Private Prison Industry Helped Create Anti-Immigrant Law in Arizona (by Noel Brinkerhoff and David Wallechinsky, AllGov)
Making a Profit from Detaining Immigrants (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)
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