Tuesday, November 02, 2010
Lawsuits Allege Jail And Prison Sexual Abuse
WEST VIRGINIA...
Attorneys Mike and Matthew Woelfel of Huntington filed lawsuits between October 19th and 29th in Kanawha Circuit Court on behalf of eight women alleging that they were sexually abused and harassed while prisoners in West Virginia jails or prisons. The suits allege a widespread pattern of sexual misconduct by male guards, particularly at the Southern Regional Jail and Beckley Correctional Center in Raleigh County and Lakin Correctional Center in Mason County. Suits read that there has existed a continuing practice and pattern of sexual misconduct visited upon inmates at the hands of correctional officers, and this practice could not continue to occur without the tacit approval of supervisory staff of the West Virginia Regional Jail and Correctional Facility Authority, and a conspiracy to conceal such sexual misconduct is ongoing. Mike Woelfel says their firm has found some of the regional jails are very well run from top to bottom, but they think some of the other regional jails have allowed pervasive sexual abuse to occur over a number of years.
Attorneys Mike and Matthew Woelfel of Huntington filed lawsuits between October 19th and 29th in Kanawha Circuit Court on behalf of eight women alleging that they were sexually abused and harassed while prisoners in West Virginia jails or prisons. The suits allege a widespread pattern of sexual misconduct by male guards, particularly at the Southern Regional Jail and Beckley Correctional Center in Raleigh County and Lakin Correctional Center in Mason County. Suits read that there has existed a continuing practice and pattern of sexual misconduct visited upon inmates at the hands of correctional officers, and this practice could not continue to occur without the tacit approval of supervisory staff of the West Virginia Regional Jail and Correctional Facility Authority, and a conspiracy to conceal such sexual misconduct is ongoing. Mike Woelfel says their firm has found some of the regional jails are very well run from top to bottom, but they think some of the other regional jails have allowed pervasive sexual abuse to occur over a number of years.
# posted by Homer Owens @ 10:15 AM 
