MOORE DEMANDS THAT STATE EXAMINE PRIVATE PRISONS

Senator Says Agency Has Taken 'Head-In-The-Sand' Approach To Problems

A Milwaukee lawmaker Monday accused the state Department of Corrections of
taking a "head-in-the-sand" approach to problems in out-of-state prisons
that house Wisconsin inmates.

Democratic state Sen. Gwendolynne Moore called for closer examination of
what's happening to state prisoners who are incarcerated in private prisons
outside of Wisconsin.

Moore was reacting to a federal lawsuit filed Friday by a Wisconsin
prisoner who is among 1,500 inmates from the state being held at the
Corrections Corporation of America prison in Whiteville, Tenn. In the
lawsuit, inmate Ottoway Murphy alleges that CCA guards have tortured
prisoners and violated their civil rights.

The suit accuses CCA guards of using stun guns on inmates' testicles,
spraying them with mace and using other forms of violence to intimidate
prisoners.

"We've got prisoners outraged over claims of gross mistreatment and abuse
by guards. We've had guards taken hostage by prisoners," Moore said in a
statement. "At some point, the state of Wisconsin must take a proactive
approach and closely examine what is happening down there.

"The Department of Corrections' 'head-in-the-sand' approach will only lead
to further, and possibly, more serious safety and rights violations," she said.

Moore also said more lawsuits are likely because of ongoing allegations of
abuse.

The suit by Murphy stems from a disturbance at the prison last August in
which a CCA prison guard suffered severe head injuries when he was struck
with a weight-lifting bar. At the time, the guard was supervising about 150
Wisconsin prisoners in a recreation area.

In retaliation for that attack, Murphy alleges, CCA sent in a special team
that beat and tortured inmates. The suit also alleges that CCA cuts costs
and increases profits by inadequately staffing its prisons with poorly
trained guards.

Bill Clausius, a Department of Corrections spokesman, said the FBI is
investigating the Tennessee incident. He added there has been a change in
management at Whiteville, and corrections officials are satisfied that the
prison is running adequately.

Clausius also said Wisconsin already has a team of four full-time monitors
who regularly visit out-of-state facilities and make suggestions and
changes in policy to better supervise inmates in those facilities.

The federal lawsuit against CCA comes just weeks after Assembly Republicans
deleted a budget provision sponsored by Moore that would have directed the
Department of Corrections to report on a variety of issues relating to
out-of-state transferred prisoners, she said. Moore's proposal would have
required the department to study inmate health care and rehabilitation
treatment, as well as grievance procedures and how complaints are addressed.