Crime

Surveillance Vid Shows Guards Standing By During Brutal Prison Beating

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The surveillance video from the overhead cameras shows Hanni Elabed being beaten by a fellow inmate in an Idaho prison, managing to bang on a prison guard station window, pleading for help. Behind the glass, correctional officers look on, but no one intervenes when Elabed was knocked unconscious.No one steps into the cellblock when the attacker sits down to rest, and no one stops him when he resumes the beating.

Videos of the attack obtained by The Associated Press show officers watching the beating for several minutes. The footage is a key piece of evidence for critics who claim the privately run Idaho Correctional Center uses inmate-on-inmate violence to force prisoners to snitch on their cellmates or risk being moved to extremely violent units.

Lawsuits from inmates contend the company that runs the prison, the Corrections Corporation of America, denies prisoners medical treatment as a way of covering up the assaults. They have dubbed the Idaho lockup “gladiator school” because it is so violent.

The AP initially sought a copy of the videos from state court, but Idaho 4th District Judge Patrick Owen denied that request. The AP decided to publish the videos after a person familiar with the case verified their authenticity.

The videos show at least three guards watching as Elabed was stomped on a dozen times. At no time during the recorded sequence did anyone try to pull away James Haver, a short, slight man.

About two minutes after Haver stopped the beating of his own accord, the metal cellblock door was unlocked. Haver was handcuffed and Elabed was examined for signs of life. He bled inside his skull and would spend three days in a coma.

CCA, the nation’s largest private prison company, said it was “highly disappointed and deeply concerned” over AP’s decision to release the videos.

“Public release of the video poses an unnecessary security risk to our staff, the inmates entrusted to our care, and ultimately to the public,” the prison company said in a statement.

CCA, which oversees some 75,000 inmates in more than 60 facilities under contracts with the federal government, 19 states and the District of Columbia, has faced allegations of abuse by guards elsewhere.

A year ago, CCA and another company, Dominion Correctional Services LLC, agreed to pay $1.3 million to settle a lawsuit in which the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission claimed male officers at a prison in Colorado forced female workers to perform sex acts to keep their jobs.

In January, Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear ordered some 400 female inmates transferred to a state-run prison after more than a dozen reports of sexual misconduct by male guards employed by CCA. Similar accusations were made in March at a CCA-run prison in Hawaii, and in May, agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement placed CCA on probation and launched an investigation of whether a guard at a central Texas detention facility sexually assaulted women on their way to being deported.

Before the Idaho attack, Elabed tried to get help from prison staffers, telling them that he had been threatened and giving them details about drug trafficking between inmates and staffers that he had witnessed, according to his lawsuit. He was put in solitary confinement for his protection but was later returned to the same unit with the inmates he snitched on, his lawsuit said. He was on the cellblock only six minutes before he was attacked.

Steven Pevar, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union, said in 34 years of suing more than 100 prisons and jails, the Idaho lockup is the most violent he has seen.

“This isn’t even what we know of as a prison — this is a gulag,” Pevar said.

Pevar blames the violence on CCA and the former warden, Phillip Valdez, who was head of the prison when Elabed was attacked. Valdez was later transferred to another CCA prison in Kansas. The company refused to disclose its reason for moving him.

CCA officials maintain the prison is safe and run according to state and federal standards. But at least some of those standards appear to be violated in the video — including a requirement that emergency care arrive within four minutes of a disturbance. It took medical workers nearly six minutes to get to Elabed — a delay that can be life-threatening in serious injuries, according to state prisons officials.

“Nurses and medical professionals believe you need to get a heart beating and breathing started within four minutes or the person’s going to die,” Idaho Department of Correction spokesman Jeff Ray said.

CCA spokesman Steven Owen said employees receive training and supervision designed to protect both themselves and the inmates.

“As Mr. Haver’s wanton attack illustrates, correctional and medical personnel must often respond to render aid in dangerous situations, not knowing the extent of the risk they may face when they do,” Owen said.

Owen also condemned the attack and said the surveillance videos were key to Haver’s guilty plea in the beating. CCA was unable to answer additional questions surrounding the circumstances of the attack due to pending litigation, he said.

Elabed‘s family learned through medical records that CCA officials pulled him out of the hospital before he could get significant treatment and against his doctor’s advice, in order to treat him at the cheaper in-prison facility, the family said.

Elabed, who was originally sentenced to two to 12 years for robbery, was ultimately released on a medical parole because he was too badly injured to be cared for in prison.

A slew of federal lawsuits detail beatings behind prison walls and long waits for medical care at CCA-run prisons in Idaho. Inmate Todd Butters said in his lawsuit he was denied X-rays after he was severely beaten by gang members on his cellblock for refusing to pay $5 a week in “rent.” The Idaho Supreme Court threw out the case after finding Butters didn’t take the necessary steps to try to solve the problem with prison officials before suing.

In another attack, inmate Daniel Dixon said he was denied X-rays and a doctor’s visit after he claimed other inmates beat him until he had broken ribs and facial bones and other injuries.

State officials have long been aware of allegations of mistreatment and poor management at the Idaho Correctional Center, the state’s largest prison. A review of hundreds of public records by AP found in 2008 that ICC had a violence rate three times as high as other Idaho prisons.

The AP found in a follow-up investigation that ICC had only marginally improved its violence rate and that inspectors were still finding rampant gang violence and extortion. State auditors have also found widespread problems keeping medical charts updated, excessive wait times for medical care and other problems with treatment.

Even though Idaho Department of Correction officials have increased oversight and top department leaders have spoken out about their concern over the medical issues, state lawmakers have renewed the company’s multimillion-dollar contract with Nashville, Tenn.-based CCA and added 600 beds to the prison.

Idaho Department of Correction Director Brent Reinke said in a statement that he couldn’t talk about the video because of pending litigation, but said the eight state-run prisons his agency operates are among the safest and most efficient in the country.

Reinke also said his department began beefing up oversight at the private prison three years ago.

“The Board of Correction acknowledges that when you put a group of people who have a history of criminal behavior together in one place, it is likely you will have problems. But that doesn’t mean we should tolerate them,” Reinke wrote.

Today, the 24-year-old Elabed isn’t able to talk much about the assault. He has brain damage and persistent short-term memory loss.

“It‘s almost like Hanni’s autistic after this. I feel like I‘m talking to someone who’s 12 or 13 years old,” said his brother, Zahe Elabed.

Elabed’s attorney, Ben Schwartzman, said the footage is tough to forget.

“Guard intervention was appropriate and could have happened in a way that would not have put the guards in danger of their personal safety,” Schwartzman said. “They were spectators … and that seems to indicate a level of callousness that I find shocking. It’s an embarrassment to the institution and to the individuals.”

Comments (159)

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  • jackinthebox
    Posted on November 30, 2010 at 4:14pm

    Why was this person put back into the same cell block as the person/people he snitched on?

    Report Post »  
    • Young Patriot
      Posted on December 1, 2010 at 10:31am

      Because he probably got scared and didn’t give the Warden all the information he was supposed to snitch about, so the warden punished him by putting him back into the same cell block.

      Report Post » Young Patriot  
  • jackinthebox
    Posted on November 30, 2010 at 4:11pm

    My question is, Why did the man who was beaten get put back into the same block as the person/people he ratted on when he was taken out of solitary?

    Report Post »  
  • RightPolitically
    Posted on November 30, 2010 at 4:11pm

    Well, on the face of it, this is disgusting and UN-AMERICAN. No wonder the prison authorities didn’t want a release of the evidence. I’m no bleeding-heart liberal but WE ARE MUCH BETTER than this!

    Report Post » RightPolitically  
  • Speed Racer
    Posted on November 30, 2010 at 4:03pm

    I’m surprised at some of the comments here. Many of you who claim to be Christians ought to remember the Savior’s admonition from the Sermon on the Mount.

    Matthew 7:1-2
    “1Judge not, that ye be not judged.
    2For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.”

    As for the incident described in the article, if it was within the guard’s ability to help the inmate that was apparently very badly beaten, then certainly he should tried. I can’t watch the video right now, but from what other people have said, he was not able to help. Either way, if it goes to court, I’m sure the truth will come out.

    Report Post » Speed Racer  
    • sconnolly
      Posted on November 30, 2010 at 4:10pm

      Thank you for this reminder.

      about the video,
      The video does not show a fight, it is the beating of a man, heck a kid, within an inch of his life. The attacker was stomping on his head after he was unconcious. The victim is brain damaged for life. It is usually the weaker and less violent prisoners who are prey to the real animals in prison.

      Report Post » Progessives=Fail  
    • Cerita
      Posted on November 30, 2010 at 4:28pm

      Except for the grace of God there go I.

      Report Post »  
    • untameable-kate
      Posted on November 30, 2010 at 4:33pm

      Sconnoly, why do you keep insisting this man is a ‘kid’? 24 is not a child. maybe alot of the reason young men get into so much trouble these days is because they have been taught to believe they are kids and can’t be expected to take responsibility for thier actions. He is an adult, the situation was bad but he is no innocent kid, just a thug who took a brutal beating by another thug.

      Report Post » Untameable-kate  
    • coffinman
      Posted on November 30, 2010 at 5:47pm

      Sconnoly, perhaps this man” didn’t deserve the beatdown, who knows, but I agree with Kate above. 24 is NOT a “kid.” For cryin’ out loud, I was in the Marine Corps at 17!!!! By choice. When you make a bad choice, no matter the age, there ARE consequences! This beatdown is a by-product of his BAD CHOICE! It’s probably too late for him to learn from his mistakes, being brain-damaged, and all, but perhaps others can learn! Let’s hope so. This is NOT being judgemental, it’s being honest, and NON-POLITICALLY CORRECT……

      Report Post »  
    • Young Patriot
      Posted on December 1, 2010 at 10:39am

      Kate another cold hearted #$%$#. What happened to rehabilitation? I guess this guy, sorry i wont say kid, even tho you know it is affectionate for most older people to call younger people yes even to 24, oh ya obama raised the age for parents to keep their KIDS on their insurance until they are 26. So instead of harping on the guy not being a kid, even tho he has another 60-80 years ahead of him, your right he is pretty old. What does serving time have to do with being forced into a life threatening situation? In a 3rd world country they would just chop your hand off and let you go. In the usa you get beaten retarded.

      Report Post » Young Patriot  
  • sconnolly
    Posted on November 30, 2010 at 4:01pm

    We simply cannot condone the actions of animals.

    The criminals that actually do deserve this never get it, they are always protected. Child rapists, child killers etc, cold blooded murderers etc….

    Sorry if I did use a broad brush on my previous comment, I was just taken aback by the disregard for this guys suffering, he was simply defending himself. And he is not a murderer or rapist, most likely his attacker was though.

    Report Post » Progessives=Fail  
  • mtnclimberjim
    Posted on November 30, 2010 at 4:01pm

    We see the problem here. This would not be an issue if the muzies weren’t involved. Here comes cair.

    Report Post » mtnclimberjim  
  • booger71
    Posted on November 30, 2010 at 4:00pm

    I am a retired Federal Correctional Officer. I was taught when you are by yourself (most of the time you are), do not get in between 2 fighting inmates, call for help and wait till the Calvary arrives. The way many of these prisons are laid out, it may take several minutes. The officers I knew who tried to intervene, usually got beat up pretty bad.

    Report Post » booger71  
    • heavyduty
      Posted on November 30, 2010 at 4:12pm

      booger71: I agree with you. You never get between fighting inmates because you will get the crap beat out of you. You sound the alarm and wait for backup. The best way to lose control of the situation is to get in between them. Because they will think that another inmate is ganging up on the other. It is a good way to get yourself hurt badly.

      Report Post »  
    • kreese
      Posted on December 1, 2010 at 11:52am

      You make a good point. What would happen if prisoners, who break the rules, were put in solitary confinement for a long period of time—no TV, etc.? Since you were there, would it work?

      Report Post »  
  • mtnclimberjim
    Posted on November 30, 2010 at 3:56pm

    Violence in prison, oh the horror. Sometimes a good beatdown is in order.

    Report Post » mtnclimberjim  
  • Disabledvet
    Posted on November 30, 2010 at 3:51pm

    The jails and prisons are summer camps these days, I know a guy that is doing 120 days for a 3rd DUI, they let him out everyday to go to work, He works in a Liquor store, out at 8:00 am and in at 6:00pm, I say let him out each day to work but make the work be for hard labor or cleaning the streets and parks not to go to a Liquor store.

    and yes SCONNOLLY I truly do not care if a bunch of criminals attack each other, as long as it stays in the jails and prisons, instead of on the streets around innocent bystanders.

    Report Post »  
  • sconnolly
    Posted on November 30, 2010 at 3:32pm

    wow, maybe the libs are right about most of you people, full of hate and condoning violence. Discusting, the man was not a murderer or rapist. He is only 24 and he is damaged for life, yeah, he comitted a crime and was doing the time. That does not mean he deserves to be beaten to an inch of his life by some animal.
    What is wrong with most of you. I really hope you people do not count yourselves among the tea party.

    Report Post » Progessives=Fail  
    • MeteoricLimbo
      Posted on November 30, 2010 at 3:42pm

      Nice large brush you have there Sconnolly..

      Report Post » MeteoricLimbo  
    • sconnolly
      Posted on November 30, 2010 at 3:58pm

      I just mean the commentors who condone this. I can not stand to see someone beat on a helpless person, the man was unconcious.

      Report Post » Progessives=Fail  
    • missbosslady
      Posted on November 30, 2010 at 4:06pm

      Oh please sconnolly, spare us your preachy little sermon. That poor, innocent little 24 year old had the free will to choose to commit a crime or not. Free will is the ESSENCE of the tea party message.

      Here’s a tip for you, prison is avoidable. This is a fact.

      It’s what you call a calculated risk. Break the law, throw the dice that you might get caught and forced to live with the underbelly of society. We all have this choice.

      I think the little 24 year old criminal should consider himself extremely lucky that he chose to break the law in the US as opposed to the third world crap hole he likely came from, over there the conditions are a lot worse, and when his veiled mama talked to the press about it she’d likely get disappeared.

      Report Post »  
    • sconnolly
      Posted on November 30, 2010 at 4:12pm

      missbosslady,

      He is now 24 years old. He’s a kid and made a mistake obviously, not the first make one. I hope if anyone you care about makes a mistake and ends up in a bad place you or they are shown more mercy than this boy.

      Report Post » Progessives=Fail  
    • AmericanSoldier
      Posted on November 30, 2010 at 4:14pm

      I do not condone the beating. I honestly think prisons just bread harder criminals. Prisons should be segregated better. Keep the violent inmates together while non-violent criminals in another cell block. I tell myself all the time, I would never survive prison.

      Looking at the video, it does show a single guard behind that glass. As many have pointed out, he would be stupid to leave his post and enter that area alone. For all he knows it’s a setup to facilitate escape. I’m sure he notified the other guards. The question remains did the group of guards take a leisurely stroll to the scene of the fight or did they rush there? It doesn’t show if all those guards rushed or there if they entered the room as soon as they got to that section.

      Report Post » American Soldier (Separated)  
    • missbosslady
      Posted on November 30, 2010 at 11:24pm

      sconnolly, I think you missed my point completely.

      He didn’t “make a mistake” he broke the law. Furthermore, he CHOSE to break the law. Me and mine don’t worry about ending up in prison as we CHOOSE to not break the law.

      It really is that simple.

      As for those here that have tried to mitgate this guys crime because it was “just” robbery, well again he should consider himself lucky. There are some of us who would not give him the benefit of any doubt if we woke up in the middle of the night and found the little theif in our homes. In fact, as a single woman, if I the little creep got into my house I would assume the worst and “just” shoot him.

      Report Post »  
    • Young Patriot
      Posted on December 1, 2010 at 10:37am

      Bosslady, you are a cold hearted #@$#@. Maybe he would have been luckier in a 3rd world country, they would have just chopped his hand off and he would have been set free not to be beaten in a prison. He wouldn‘t have a hand but atleast he wouldn’t have been forced to be beaten retarded. I say forced because they put him in the same cell block knowing that he was going to be beaten. Kinda sounds pre-meditated to me. I bet you have never done one thing wrong in your life, i bet you have taken money out of your moms purse before, your a thief and i wish i could beat you retarded.

      Young Patriot  
  • sconnolly
    Posted on November 30, 2010 at 3:30pm

    This is unacceptable. That man was clearly being attacked, he was only trying to defend himself. The animal continued to beat on him after he was unconcious. You people think this is ok?? You condone this? You people who think this is ok and that he “deserved” it should be ashamed of yourselves.

    Report Post » Progessives=Fail  
    • dkhartman
      Posted on November 30, 2010 at 3:57pm

      Soo, if this animal that was beating up on an unconcious man was actually crazy enough to grab the officers weapon when he entered to ‘help’ and shot both the officer and unconcious what would you have said…? Rules are set for a reason.

      Report Post »  
    • sconnolly
      Posted on November 30, 2010 at 4:17pm

      I didn’t question the actions taken by the officers. I was reacting to the comments condoning the beating.

      Report Post » Progessives=Fail  
    • dkhartman
      Posted on November 30, 2010 at 4:36pm

      I don’t think he should be beaten. I just don’t care if he is. Why should we care? These are murderes, rapists, pedophiles.. In my opinion, half these people shouldn’t even be living in the first place. So NO I don’t CARE about them.

      Report Post »  
    • jb1972
      Posted on November 30, 2010 at 6:08pm

      wont we all be committing robery if Obamas policies take affect to survive? Careful what you ask for, you might get it.

      Report Post » jb1972  
    • nick e l
      Posted on November 30, 2010 at 6:10pm

      Boo Hoo… I will bet a weeks pay YOU would not have the cajones to have done nothing! You obviously have never had to follow orders that may impact YOUR life or others if you did not follow them. You think with your mind not your heart.

      Report Post »  
    • J White
      Posted on November 30, 2010 at 6:41pm

      The dude was a ******…..

      Report Post » J White  
  • Speak without Fear
    Posted on November 30, 2010 at 3:23pm

    Next……story please. These thugs would be fighting on the outside if they had the chance.

    Report Post »  
  • SpklerMan
    Posted on November 30, 2010 at 3:17pm

    And they are in jail because they nice law-bidding people!! I think not.

    Report Post »  
  • rbqueen
    Posted on November 30, 2010 at 3:14pm

    While anyone that ends in prison should expect some violence there is still a limit that should go on. Such as when the guards know about it they put a stop to it. The way I see it, all of those guards and the warden that the CCA snuck off to another prison should be charged, convicted and see how they like it when they are part of the inmates in the “gladiator school”. I bet you that they would be crying for the guards there to help come save them if someone jumps on them. These guards, the warden, and apparently CCA is no better than the people they put in these places.

    Report Post »  
  • coffinman
    Posted on November 30, 2010 at 3:11pm

    I wonder if any of the “bleeding hearts” out there actually put any onus on the prisoner for BEING THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE? Obey the laws, act like a human, and avoid prison…otherwise, pay yer money, take yer chances, and live with the consequences,,,,,

    Report Post »  
  • Conserving Ink
    Posted on November 30, 2010 at 3:07pm

    Its hard to be professional toward people who spend their day being abusive to you. But its the responsibility of a prison guard to be professional. Like all videos, this only tells half the story, we should wait for the other half.
    _________________________________________________________________________
    http://conserving-ink.blogspot.com/2010/11/wretched-hive-of-scum-and-villainy.html

    Report Post » Conserving Ink  
  • BurntHills
    Posted on November 30, 2010 at 3:04pm

    who cares, “it” is in PRISON for a reason. let these animals kill each other off. there is no rehabilitating for these criminals. inmates cost us taxpayers way over $70k a year ..each.

    and just think, remember when obama spoke of his big agenda to release these criminals from the prisons to be his “civilian work force and civilian army” … imagine your frontdoor being kicked down by these animals in the obama uniform because obama doesn’t like you.

    Report Post » BurntHills  
  • dcwu
    Posted on November 30, 2010 at 3:03pm

    One way to discourage recidivism.

    Report Post »  
  • Psychosis
    Posted on November 30, 2010 at 2:58pm

    what do you expect when you put a bunch of animals in the same cage.

    solitary confinement, no tvs no guitars (you see the one in the vid?) hard labor and have to pay for rent and food………………..prisons today are freakin summer camps

    Report Post » Psychosis  
  • Disabledvet
    Posted on November 30, 2010 at 2:51pm

    Who cares if these people beat the crap out of each other, if they don’t like the treatment maybe the should not have done the crime, want to bet if the guy who got his butt kicked, ever gets out of prison he will do everything in his power to not go back, those guards have polilies to follow and if their position is to call for help and wait so be it, that scum in prison gets what they ask for by committing the crimes. and those guards don’t make enough to give a crap less about someone getting beating up if they would be in danger.

    Report Post »  
  • Dale
    Posted on November 30, 2010 at 2:50pm

    Those corrections officers (and I use the term loosely) should be fired, and barred from any other corrections employment.

    Report Post » Dale  
    • lbsm
      Posted on November 30, 2010 at 3:00pm

      wow…seriously? you expect a SINGLE guard to jump in the middle that? the video shows that there was a single officer in that control room…had he intervened before back-up arrived, he would have been risking his life and job. are you willing to risk those over two violent offenders?

      Report Post » lbsm  
    • dkhartman
      Posted on November 30, 2010 at 3:10pm

      LBSM is absolutely right. There are rules set it place for a reason…

      Report Post »  
    • @leftfighter
      Posted on November 30, 2010 at 3:38pm

      Agree. The problem isn’t with private prisons. The problem is with a few bad eggs that let the beat-down continue.

      It’s one thing not to jump in until the combatants are getting winded, then jump in and break it up. What happened here, with them watching while one of the guys sat down to rest then got back up and continued the beating after the guy was unconscious, is disgusting. These guards need to be fired and possibly thrown in with general population, themselves.

      Report Post » @leftfighter  
    • lbsm
      Posted on November 30, 2010 at 3:48pm

      @leftfighter….okay, you saw that there was ONE officer in that control room, right? again, i will explain…even when the fight settled and the one offender took a rest, that officer still COULD NOT leave a security control room UNATTENDED!!! so, while you call on this officer to be fired, i say he was following the rules. please understand, at no point, EVER, can a station be abandoned FOR ANY REASON!

      Report Post » lbsm  
    • MissCherryJones
      Posted on November 30, 2010 at 7:44pm

      I agree. Prison guards, like other law enforcement officers, take an oath to help. yes, the people they have to care for are generally scum, but still, the oath is there. Should a doctor stand by and watch a murderer bleed to death? Not exactly the same, but IT’S THEIR JOB! They are not the one’s to judge and condemn. Their job is to guard, watch, help. And if they didn’t do their job-especially this- fire their a$$es.

      Report Post »  
    • lbsm
      Posted on November 30, 2010 at 8:40pm

      @misscherry…i completely understand your point of view, and given a circumstance where back-up is immediately available, there is no excuse for something like this to happen. i have already been accused of wishing harm on this guy, but truth be told all i want is for people to understand why,perhaps, that guard didn’t go directly to the aid of that offender. by doing so and leaving his station unmanned he may be putting more lives in jeopardy that just the offender being attacked. honestly, in this situation, it is not a judgment call. it is following the oath you speak of…yes we take an oath to protect the offenders, but that oath also includes protecting the public and the employees first.

      Report Post » lbsm  
    • WhiteFang
      Posted on November 30, 2010 at 10:31pm

      LBSM, Thank you for your insight, most of us have no idea how dangerous criminals can be.

      Report Post » WhiteFang  
    • dontbotherme
      Posted on November 30, 2010 at 10:37pm

      My son is a corrections officer. They have rules & protocol that they absolutely must follow for the safety of everyone involved (including themselves). I once asked him what would happen to him if he ever got caught in a situation similar to this. He said if he (or any other individual officer) went into a room during a riot or potential threat they would be left in there by themselves till re- enforcements arrived.. by which time the suffice would probably be dead. So, shut up. You don’t know what you are talking about.

      Report Post »  
    • lbsm
      Posted on November 30, 2010 at 11:15pm

      @whitefang…thank you for thanking ME!! lol insight was all i really wanted to contribute here, but it seems rather that i wound up stirring the pot. although, i still do not see how me trying to inform people of what rules correctional officers must abide by got me lumped into the whole “he deserved it” group. someone stated it close to correct earlier, correctional officers are not there to hand out sentencing…but we ARE there to carry out the mandates of the courts. i have seen this situation so many times, and i honestly cannot think of but one or two times where i felt the individual had it coming..and those were when they attacked the other party first!

      Report Post » lbsm  
    • RavenGlenn
      Posted on December 1, 2010 at 1:15am

      Anyone blaming the guard for ANYTHING in this matter is an idiot. The video shows that there was ONE guard in that room. The room where the beating was taking place had lots of inmates. Not only that, but he was the only guard on duty and thus cannot leave his post.

      He did his job. He witnessed the fight and called it on the radio to get backup. He then had to wait for the riot reaction team to get there so that they could go in and make sure things were secure and the man could be helped out.

      The guards did nothing wrong and it is NO different than a state-run facility would be.

      Report Post »  
  • chubbzbar
    Posted on November 30, 2010 at 2:49pm

    Disgusting, prisons should not be privatized. How do you spell — in power, and using it — TSA anyone?

    Report Post »  
    • rlmeals
      Posted on November 30, 2010 at 3:13pm

      There’s nothing wrong with privatizing prisons. They save the taxpayers and state/county money. They generally run more efficiently, they are subject to the state/federal/county laws and usually overseen by the Sheriff’s Dept. or other state agency. They benefit from competition, having to find innovative ways to cut costs while keeping up standards while complying with state law. They bid on contracts with the state and many factors go into that decision, including cost. Many facilities that were poorly run and on the verge of being shut down were taken over by private companies and are now thriving. There is also a shortage on beds in many states, and private prisons come in and build new facilities and “rent out” their beds to state, county, federal, and ICE. This creates jobs, and they run with less waste than the government prisons (because, let’s face it, what government-run project DOESN’T have waste?). Also, their hands are not tied by ridiculous government rules that inhibit them from taking the necessary human resources steps when needed to discipline or fire poor performing employees. And the employees aren’t “entitled” to those ridiculous unsustainable pensions and health plans that the government wants to give all their employees.

      It’s a good thing. Just like there are bad people and companies in every genre of work, there are bad private prisons. But that doesn’t mean they are bad in general. They are quite beneficial.

      Report Post » rlmeals  
  • lbsm
    Posted on November 30, 2010 at 2:45pm

    i know how this looks…but i work in a supermax and there are policies in place that prevent a security officer from abandoning that security station to intervene. you cannot open the doors and leave that station unattended…that is a HUGE security risk. if you see something break out, all you can do is call on the CERT team

    Report Post » lbsm  
    • snowleopard3200 {mix art}
      Posted on November 30, 2010 at 2:57pm

      If they followed the established procedures for a supermax, fine. Let the truth come out in the investigation to come, or hopefully to come. Anyone who is criminally negligent needs to face the day in court in accordance to the law.

      Report Post » Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
    • rlmeals
      Posted on November 30, 2010 at 3:17pm

      @LBSM: Absolutely. There are protocols in place. I didn‘t watch the video because my internet is slow and I’m not that patient, but based on the written story, I also don’t blame the officers for not intervening. Overall, it is the facility’s responsibility to keep the population safe, and obviously it is prudent to investigate to make sure proper procedures were followed. But a guard jumping into that mess would have been more dangerous to the guard and the rest of gen. pop. His post would have been unmanned, and his life would have been in danger.

      Report Post » rlmeals  
    • heavyduty
      Posted on November 30, 2010 at 4:30pm

      I agree with you. Besides there probably 40 inmates per officer in some prisons. Talk about being outnumbered. My wife is a nurse at a fed. prison. There are only certain doors that she has keys to. The rest guards at control stations open and close the doors. Sometimes it takes 15 minutes to get through all the doors to where some inmates are.
      They had a riot at her prison the inmates burned down the pharmacy, and a couple of housing units. They all got to sleep outside it was in the winter. I never said they were smart. But only certain guards can operate the doors. Just because they are at the doors, there is usually someone else controlling the doors.

      Report Post »  
    • Young Patriot
      Posted on November 30, 2010 at 6:31pm

      You Keep going on and on about the 1 ONE security gaurd not being able to leave his gaurd, you keep saying this. You also said something about a cert team. Are you telling me that the prison shouldnt be held accountable for not being able to handle any situation. Where is the backup? Where is the tear gas? Where is the pellet guns and the night sticks. Screw you man he is in for theft, you don’t know his life, people do hard things in hard times, he deserves to be kicked retarded because he is a criminal? So what if he snitched, your not supposed to be doing drugs in jail, whats the point of rules if you try to follow them and then get kicked in the head and everyone says haha your just the scum of the earth. You are lower then the criminals my friend.

      Report Post » Young Patriot  
    • lbsm
      Posted on November 30, 2010 at 7:37pm

      lol..i am lower than the criminals? you asked where the backup was..the night sticks and pellet guns and tear gas…well, friend, they are all in that control room. that is why the officer is not allowed to abandon that post or leave it unsecured. funny how you slam me and call me lower than the criminals…i never ONCE said that offender deserved what he got…NOT ONCE. nor did i call him scum. all i have done is point out the orders that ANY correctional officer must follow in order to protect the general public, the institution, his job and own life..and yes, other offenders. if someone gets into that control room and gets a hold of the security door switches or even the weapons..then all hell breaks loose. also, you might wanna rethink the whole “where is the backup” thing seeing as how most officers are GREATLY outnumbered. there have been times where staff was so short we were outnumbered more than 100 to 1. the CERT team (correctional emergency response team) is OUR ONLY BACKUP. so get a grip…

      Report Post » lbsm  
    • Scrubmaster
      Posted on November 30, 2010 at 8:38pm

      Ya right you prison guards are as crooked as the people locked up. Fact

      Report Post »  
    • Young Patriot
      Posted on November 30, 2010 at 8:45pm

      So you are telling me because of the F’ed up Prison system . We are allowed to use the excuse of out numbered gaurds?. So if a prison riot happens, inmates get out and a few woman get raped and killed. I guess it wasnt the prisons fault that there wasn’t enough gaurds. The dude had to stay inside and gaurd all the weapons that they cant use because they dont have enough gaurds. listen to yourself and stop making excuses for a F’ed up system.

      Report Post » Young Patriot  
    • lbsm
      Posted on November 30, 2010 at 9:12pm

      no..the system is f’d up…and to scrubmaster, yes there are crooked prison guards, but not all of them. i am not defending the prison system. i am simply pointing out what the rules are, and why they are that way. yes, the reason we are understaffed is because of the way the system is run. yes, it is the duty of any correctional facility to protect the offenders, but it is also the duty to protect the public. it seems as though you just want to attack me because i wanted to point out a possible reason for that officer not going to the aid of that offender. sadly, it likely would have been the same had the victim been another officer. as i stated, leaving a security station unmanned for any reason is prohibited, even to aid another officer…not to mention that those doors generally have a master key that is kept in central command and not on the officers person..so entering the cell block with noone in the control room, means you STAY in the cell block.

      Report Post » lbsm  
    • lbsm
      Posted on November 30, 2010 at 9:25pm

      and ideally, there should be several officers on any given post, with the exception of single-manned posts such as towers. had there been a proper amount of officers present, this would, or should not have happened. guess i can’t say would not have…seeing as how i do not know the officers there or their frame of mind or even if they may be corrupt. hell, for all i know they instigated all this. what i DO know, is what rules are in play and thats what i wanted to point out. i think what happened to the offender is inexcusable, but yes, because of an f’d up system it did. and honestly there should be at least one person in the control room…preferably two with another several out on the run…staffed in this manner really helps keep things at bay. maybe if they were staffed properly, A: this would not have happened or B: if it did there would be no question that there was malicious intent. when correctional facilities cut staff and spending, we end up where too many facilities are today…and this video is a minor example. this kind of thing is literally a daily occurrence in most institutions

      Report Post » lbsm  
    • rlmeals
      Posted on November 30, 2010 at 9:51pm

      If a riot breaks out, the prison goes on lockdown. They aren’t going to escape and rape and murder people just because of a riot. And, COs (correctional officers) are even gassed in training to know how to function through it, because if a cell block gets locked down they aren’t going to wait to get the COs out first before they start gassing the block to get the population under control. A CO knows that a cell block can’t be opened during dangerous situations without the riot team (or CERT team) forming an entry plan and getting into position. So a CO doesn’t put himself in that position where he can get hurt or killed by trying to be a hero and go break up a fight.

      As far as being outnumbered, DUH they’re outnumbered. How many COs do you want? a 1:1 ratio? Anything less and of course they are outnumbered! I don’t presume to know the procedures, as they differ from state to state. But the safety of those COs and the public are important, and a state’s Department of Corrections puts protocols in place to keep people safe, including the population. But ultimately, an inmate getting beat up is of less priority than breaking protocol and putting a CO in danger and leaving a control room unmanned and in danger of breach. Because if there is a breach, then the general public is in danger.

      We can question why he was put back into gen pop, and if the CO’s response was proper, and did the warden do what was required to keep an inmate safe. It’s why we do investigations. And maybe they did something wrong, and maybe they didn’t. But that CO shouldn’t have gone in, and he didn’t, and he shouldn’t be chastised for that.

      Report Post » rlmeals  
    • Young Patriot
      Posted on December 1, 2010 at 10:30am

      You keep staying on the fact that there was only 1 guard. How many minutes did this beating go on, more then 10 minutes? How long does your excuse of only 1 guard being in the room stand? How long does it take for a cert team to get there? What happened to a guard having a gun and saying if you don’t stop this beating i am going to shoot you. You don’t need to enter a room if you have a gun. Please the rules are there to protect everyone, but where is the heroism at? If someone is trying to murder someone else then shoot them. You are telling me that guard couldn’t shoot from the door? What inmate would charge a guard that has a gun?

      Report Post » Young Patriot  
    • lbsm
      Posted on December 1, 2010 at 1:01pm

      yes…i am telling you the guard CANT shoot from the door. firearms are used only to prevent escapes or a takeover of the institution. besides, shooting an unarmed man, even inside a prison, is AGAINST THE LAW. your argument is losing logic…my excuse for the ONE officer still stands even at ten minutes, because yes it could take longer than that for back-up to arrive. there are numerous doors that have to be opened via a control panel that someone BESIDES the person or persons wanting through is operating. the CERT team, once notified, has to suit up in riot gear and have a documented plan of action before they make the trip THROUGH the prison to wherever the incident may be. also, some of the CERT team are likely to be on call as not every CO is qualified for CERT and no CERT member works 24 hours a day. now, there is the option of regular CO’s coming for back-up, but they must first be relieved of their station by another qualified officer. you obviously have little to no clue as to how or why correctional institutions are run. by your logic, there should be a 1:1 ratio of officers to offenders, and those officer should be there 24 hours a day

      Report Post » lbsm  
    • Young Patriot
      Posted on December 2, 2010 at 12:06am

      And as a citizen of america i say that is unacceptable. We have a huge problem if our prisons are so overpopulated that we cant even keep the inmates safe. If it takes that long for backup, 20 inmates could be stabbed and killed befor a cert team gets there. But you say hey they are just criminals let them beat the crap out of eachother and kill them. Well hey if that is where we have become as a society, then why do we even have rehabilitation centers? Lets just execute everyone who is sentences to jail.

      Report Post » Young Patriot  
    • lbsm
      Posted on December 2, 2010 at 4:58pm

      again…you accuse me of saying something i did not. please point out where i said anything even remotely resembling “hey they are just criminals let them beat the crap out of each other and kill them.” did i NOT say though that if we were better staffed that this kind of stuff would happen less? i think i did…

      Report Post » lbsm  
  • dkhartman
    Posted on November 30, 2010 at 2:42pm

    I honestly could care less what happens to pedophiles, rapists, and murders in prison…

    Report Post »  
    • missbosslady
      Posted on November 30, 2010 at 3:47pm

      That’s exactly what I was thinking.

      Are they serious with this non-sense, just what do they think makes prison so violent?

      Could it be that it is filled with violent offenders?

      Better to have them locked up and beating on each other, then to have them on the streets beating on us.

      Perhaps, the mother of this guy should have taught her son as I did and used footage such as this as an educational tool. I always had my son watch these “inside” prison shows and told him, fly right, or end up in one of these hell holes with all of those scum bags.

      Pretty straightforward lesson.

      Report Post »  
    • the_ancient
      Posted on November 30, 2010 at 6:15pm

      except this guy was not a Pedophile, rapist or Murder. No everyone that goes to jail is on either. This guy was in on a 2year sentence for robbery, which means it was probably a non-violent act and is first or second offence, but yes, that warrants a death sentence….

      Please.

      a Jury, and/or a Judge sets punishments Not the Prison or the Inmates.

      I am in Favor of Capital Punishment and I would even agree to expand it to Rape and other Very Very Violent Actions, but I can NEVER condone inmate violence.

      Report Post » the_ancient  
    • orkydorky
      Posted on December 1, 2010 at 1:14pm

      Do the crime, do the time, if you don’t like the way it is, then straighten the hell up !

      Report Post » orkydorky  
    • bullcrapbuster
      Posted on December 3, 2010 at 9:22pm

      yep it is best to stay out of prision.

      Report Post » bullcrapbuster  
  • MeteoricLimbo
    Posted on November 30, 2010 at 2:39pm

    What seems to be at the core of this? Curious to say the least……

    Report Post » MeteoricLimbo  
    • untameable-kate
      Posted on November 30, 2010 at 2:57pm

      That is easy, the kid rated out some drug users and got his a$$ handed to him. I’m not at all surprised this happened. The thing that surprises me is that the story wasn’t immediately released as an anti muslim piece

      Report Post » Untameable-kate  
    • dkhartman
      Posted on November 30, 2010 at 3:02pm

      To make police officers look bad. Notice, I never hear when a police officer does something heroic and saves a life. You only hear the negative crap they do… Oh well.. Such is life

      Report Post »  
    • MeteoricLimbo
      Posted on November 30, 2010 at 3:08pm

      get past the peel.

      Report Post » MeteoricLimbo  
    • 2
      Posted on November 30, 2010 at 3:25pm

      Thief turned Snitch. When I was a Kid along time ago a snitch would get beat by everyone in the room. I’ve never been to jail, but it was the same there.

      BTW, Does the Mom speak English? I don’t know what the heck She said. I know She was sad but She has to know She planted a Bad Seed.

      Thief and a Snitch. Bad combo.

       
    • jzs
      Posted on November 30, 2010 at 3:54pm

      Interesting. Not a single post to the effect that prisons should not let prisoners be beat to near death. Nice.

      Report Post » jzs  
    • dkhartman
      Posted on November 30, 2010 at 4:37pm

      Ok, the scum of the earth shouldn’t be beaten to near death in prison…………. But who cares if they are? Seriously.

      Report Post »  
    • sofaking obvious
      Posted on November 30, 2010 at 5:08pm

      The guards don’t want to risk their lives to help a “criminal”. This video shows someone scared to fight back and in return almost loses his life. Pardon me for making this comparison, but this should inspire all of us to fight back against the attack on America by “Americans” or anybody else before it’s too late. November was a good start. But like inmates, NO politicians can’t be trusted.

      Report Post » sofaking obvious  
    • walkwithme1966
      Posted on November 30, 2010 at 5:50pm

      The is what happens when we privatize everything – and we do it to save money but it only costs lifes and doesn’t save anything in the budgeting. I don’t know where all this privatizing started but it is part of the reason that there are so many unemployed. It is taking jobs and is too expensive. http://maboulette.wordpress.com

      Report Post » walkwithme1966  
    • sofaking obvious
      Posted on November 30, 2010 at 6:15pm

      @ walkwithme, are you saying privatizing “everything” causes loss of lives and jobs? Can you explain FedX and UPS? Are you suggesting government can run businesses better then the private industry? Do you support socialism? Just a few questions to distinguish your mind frame.

      Report Post » sofaking obvious  
    • tower7femacamp
      Posted on November 30, 2010 at 7:16pm

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0t4bB5BwEM

      Report Post » tower7femacamp  
    • jds7171
      Posted on November 30, 2010 at 9:09pm

      Correctional officers do that all the time. They are not going to risk there lives by being jumped by the rest of the inmates there. IF they did interfere, the officers would be charged for police brutality anyways.

      Report Post »  
    • Conservative Democrat
      Posted on December 1, 2010 at 2:16am

      CCA is a piss poor outfit, I say this because I had to work for them for 6 months while our facility was transfered from them back to the county. Poor Officer training, even worse supervision. I was luck because I was part of a transition team. I was the OIC (Officer in charge) of a 40 man shift of which 30 of the Officers were CCA employees. I took the time and used the experience of the “professional” Officers, my Sheriffs team, to TRY and train the laggars (CCA people) but they had “other” issues, which I found out about, and had 8 of them arrested.
      There is absoulutly NO excuse for this type of careless behaviour, no matter what! the CCA people should be arrested for malfiesence and wreckless endangerment, and the company thrown out of the State. CCA is a blackeye for all Officers who try to do the right thing, CCA hires thugs and misfits mostly because no one else will work for them!
      In the case of CCA it is most of the bad apples spoil the few good apples, try getting a position with any sheriffs or state prison with a background with CCA, good luck on that!

      Report Post » Conservative Democrat  
    • BlueStrat
      Posted on December 1, 2010 at 6:57am

      I think something many here are missing is that today in America, it’s not that hard for someone to wind up in prison. How many laws are there? Are you breaking one?

      It‘s almost a certainty that there is nobody that’s lived in the US all of their lives that hasn’t broke a good number of laws unknowingly, many of which could easily land you in prison given a zealous prosecutor, an unfriendly judge, and a lazy public defender. And it happens more often than we would like to think.

      What if it were you, or someone you loved that was caught up like this? Your son or daughter maybe does something wild and stupid enough to get themselves a year or 14 months. Do they deserve to be raped or beat to death?

      Would you still say “let all those criminals rape and kill each other” after it happened to your son or daughter that might have been actually guilty of nothing more than hanging with the wrong crowd and ending up being at the wrong place at the wrong time?

      Would Jesus judge it as just and deserved? Would Jesus say we’ve done what we reasonably could to halt and prevent it?

      Keep in mind that when the “top” starts coming “down”, chances are very good many here could wind up in lockup. Do you want to walk into a place you very likely won’t walk out of, or see someone you love walk in not knowing if they’ll survive the sentence?

      Report Post »  
    • loriann12
      Posted on December 1, 2010 at 7:28am

      @untameablekate. Fully agree and am also surprised it didn’t come out as an anti-muslim piece. I have to wonder if the officers behind the glass weren’t involved in that drug action between prisoners and officers? Will they ever look into that? Probably not.

      Report Post »  
    • Flagwaver
      Posted on December 1, 2010 at 11:44am

      People say this is to make police look bad, but these aren’t police. They are a private security corporation that seems to think this jail is their personal playhouse.

      Report Post » Flagwaver  
    • Beckofile
      Posted on December 1, 2010 at 4:29pm

      It takes a little time to get a team together to take action. First call the SEIU union hall and check if breaking up fights are part of the job, then see if your supervisor can call in Joey from his smoke break and Sally Service Sue if she will break from her lunch break. After Getting Van off his computer organizing the next union riot then you realize you only have four people and union rules say you need five. Next you call the rubber room and bring Gibbs out of paid leave and give him a raise for returning to service. Now you are ready to enter the room and break up this uprising but it is shift change and the cycle needs to restart.

      Report Post » Beckofile  
    • Beckofile
      Posted on December 1, 2010 at 4:36pm

      The relieving shift supervisor then gets a half hour update about some sort of scuffle.. Following the update the supervisor realizes this is now a medical issue and it is managements problem. The supervisor then goes to lunch to drink beer with the other supervisors at the park next to the prison.

      Report Post » Beckofile  
    • Beckofile
      Posted on December 1, 2010 at 4:43pm

      While the smack down goes on Obama decides to bailout the the private security company who community organized so well in 08. The result is the regular bond holders get ten cents on the dollar and the union gets most of the new company stocks. The supervisors are very happy because they are now millionairs for doing such a good job. Welcome to Amerika!

      Report Post » Beckofile  
    • Dementat1
      Posted on December 2, 2010 at 9:51pm

      The problem not mentioned here is that Private Prisons do not have sworn peace officers, and therefore are not authorized to carry any weapons. The officer you see behind the glass watching the fight is actually sounding the alarm so support will arrive. Nobody in his right mind would run in there alone.

      Governments job is to protect the public. Prisons should not be privatized, they are public safety. A criminal does not stop being a criminal or dangerous just because you put him in the prison.

      If this had been at my facility, the attacker would have been lethally shot the moment he began kicking the unconscious victim. Private prisons don’t have the legal authority.

      Report Post »  
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