U.S. Sues States for Female Inmate Abuse

The Justice Department alleged that Arizona and Michigan fail to protect female inmates from rapes and sexual assaults by prison guards and staff. In lawsuits filed in U.S. District Court in Phoenix and Detroit, the department alleged that conditions in state-run prisons violate federal law. At the Arizona Center for Women and at state prison facilities in Alhambra, Perryville and Tucson, female inmates have been subjected to sexual misconduct and unlawful invasion of privacy, including prurient viewing during showering and dressing, the department charged. At Michigan’s Scott and Crane correctional facilities, female inmates have been subjected to sexual misconduct, unlawful invasion of privacy and inadequate health care, the department said.