Female inmates petition for state takeover

Monday, April 12, 2004 | 10:52 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- More than 200 female inmates -- nearly half of those at the privately run state women's prison in North Las Vegas -- have signed a petition stating conditions at the prison are unacceptable, and they are urging the state to take control.

The 215 inmates say the food is poor, medical care is lacking, the prison staff is untrained, there is an inadequate grievance procedure and that some of their jewelry and other belongings are missing.

The April 4 petition was sent to Gov. Kenny Guinn, members of the Legislature and the state Department of Corrections.

"We would all like to know, would any of you subject one of your family members to the cruel and unusual punishment that all of you have permitted us to be subjected to for nearly seven years? Yes, we are paying a debt to society, not a debt to CCA," the inmates said.

Corrections Corp. of America, or CCA, is under contract from the state to operate the prison. The contract expires in October. Steve Owen, a spokesman for CCA, called the inmates' allegations "baseless and absurd."

He said there is a state contract monitor at the prison daily and that women are free to voice their complaints. The monitor also has weekly meetings with the CCA staff that runs the prison, Owen said.

Guinn believes that the state should run the prisons, said Greg Bortolin, spokesman for the governor. But the Legislature has a big voice in whether it should be the state or a private company, Bortolin added.

Bortolin noted that when a private company had operated the state juvenile detention center in Las Vegas it had been a "disaster," and that center was closed but has reopened under state operation.

Tony Grande, vice president of state customer relations for CCA, said it will not re-bid on the contract for the state prison. Several other private companies have expressed interest in a contract and bids will be opened May 4.

But Jackie Crawford, director of the state Department of Corrections, has indicated the department will seek to be considered to operate the prison and the medical program.

CCA had tried to turn the medical program over to the state earlier this year but the Legislative Interim Finance Committee blocked that move.

The petition, signed by 46 percent of the 464 inmates at the prison as of Friday, states there are no special diets available for diabetics and no low-fat or no-cholesterol diets.

"Regular diets are the lowest grade of turkey meat practically every day" the petition said.

"Our medical, plain and simple, is a joke," said the petition. It said CCA reported it spent $2.9 million on medical care. The petition said: "We have no preventative medical care." It adds the inmates are denied "many many (medical) procedures we need."

Dr. Ted D'Amico, director of health care for the state prison system, said previously that CCA "doesn't know how to run a medical program."

"Mental health is in shambles," he said.

D'Amico also said CCA is behind in dental care for inmates. He said the state could provide better medical care for the inmates.

"There have been very many women who have either died or became near death due to CCA's neglect of medical care," the petition said.

The petition said property kept for inmates, including jewelry, has disappeared.

The state pays CCA $47.79 per day per inmate under the contract that will likely be allowed to run out Oct. 1.