CASE STUDY OF A PRISON BEATING - AN INVESTIGATION OF SYSTEMIC FAILURE OF PRISON OFFICIALS TO PREVENT INJURY OR DEATH OF A MENTALLY ILL PRISONER
Beatings of prisoners by other prisoners (and by staff) are unfortunately more common than reported by the media. Even when such beatings result in permanent injury, or even death, the Idaho Department of Correction often refuse to acknowledge the assaults, do their best to keep video of the incidents out of the hands of the public, and certainly cover up the fact that they knew (or should have known) the beatings would occur.
Let's look at an example of what will certainly result in the beating of a prisoner at the ISCC if staff fail to intervene in a timely manner.
Inmate Bubba (not his real name due to prison regulations) has on several occasions been in fights because of his odd, annoying, threatening and assaultive behavior while in prison. Most recently, Bubba has been in two separate physical altercations with other prisoners over a dayroom television on tier F3, as Bubba likes to believe he is the person who decides what is watched, and who watches it.
When Bubba doesn't get his way, he threatens other prisoners with bodily harm. Bubba will also sit at the dayroom table, beating on a plastic trash can, screaming racial slurs and taunting other prisoners who are attempting to watch television, and once they move away to avoid conflict, he changes the channel to what he wants to watch.
Even when Bubba does get his way in the dayroom, he throws chairs, shouts and 'dances' around the table he has staked out for himself directly in front of the TV. Nonsensical signs taped to the table, religious pamphlets taken from the chapel and garbage left on the table top prevent others from using it. Bubba is also known to keep loose razor blades at hand amidst his trash and under his chair which he suggests will be used to "...slice up a Cracker."
Because Bubba has nothing, he has nothing to lose, except maybe his life.
Lately, Bubba has been hyper-focused on watching programs which feature young children on weekday mornings. When asked why he keeps watching this particle program, unflinchingly, Bubba states he likes to "watch the little white kids, especially when they're wearing swim suits". This has not made Bubba any safer, but it has made him a target.
Bubba has been watched over and defended by other prisoners of his race (he is African American) on the tier, because everyone knows the guy in mentally unhinged, but even their patience has worn thin. Staff have refused to refer him to mental health officials for (at a minimum) an evaluation, or move him to more appropriate housing because they don't want to be labeled as racist.
Bubba regularly urinates and defecates in the communal shower, often wiping his bodily excretions on the wall while talking to himself and intermittently crying and screaming. Inmate janitors are left to clean the area, often leaving the cleaning to the next day.
When Bubba recently threw a cup of liquid containing a mixture of milk, cleaning chemicals and (many prisoners have stated) bodily fluids in the face of another prisoner, covering the other prisoner (and his belongings) from head to toe, nothing was done, or even said to Bubba by staff, despite the incident being witnessed, reported to and watched on video by security staff. As of yet, no investigators have followed up on the assault, thus the assaulted prisoner is considering civil action against both Bubba and departmental staff. In doing so, the court will order video footage, written reports and other data to be disclosed in the discovery process, making it public record.
Bubba is on the edge, and he is a clearly a significant danger to himself and/or others. He is also on the verge of being beaten by any number of prisoners who are fed up with his behavior and antics. ISCC staff know this, having been told directly and through their own observations, yet they refuse to investigate the problem, or take steps to resolve the dangerous issues they know are on the horizon.
When Bubba is assaulted, injured or killed, or he does the same to someone else, look back on this article and demand answers to the question of why prison administrators refused to address, prevent or even acknowledge this matter. Let this post be witness to the fact that early staff intervention in this situation could have prevented the injuries or death that are certain to occur.