By Tom Searls
Charleston Gazette
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — State Corrections Commissioner Jim Rubenstein said his staff has cleared officials at a McDowell County prison of violating any regulations after inmates said they were strip-searched in public more than two weeks ago.
“Basically, the report is going to show there wasn’t any policy or regulation broken,” Rubenstein said Friday.
Ten inmates on a work crew complained, filed grievances, told family members and wrote the newspaper to say they were forced to strip to their boxer shorts and drop them, then bend over and cough. They said the incident occurred in Northfork Hollow, and they could be seen from a nearby house.
“There was [a house] there,” Rubenstein acknowledged. But the men were all taken to the other side of the bus, which was not visible to the residence or any passing motorists, he said.
The incident occurred after a person called and said passing motorists tossed contraband to an inmate. The contraband was cigarettes, but Rubenstein previously noted correctional officers must always be on the guard for hidden weapons.
The McDowell County facility houses 430 minimum-security inmates and employs about 160 people in the state’s southernmost county. It is the only privately owned correctional facility that keeps state prisoners. The state constitution prohibits West Virginia prisoners from being housed outside the Mountain State.
The 10 prisoners sent a letter to the Gazette saying they felt degraded and humiliated from being stripped on the side of a road. They have filed a grievance saying that is not proper procedure.
“After the process of being stripped we were allowed to board the bus and then handed our clothes and boots and told to redress on the bus,” they wrote.
They noted that if they were that dangerous they shouldn’t be on the work crews.
“They put chain saws in our hands on a daily basis and put us to work in the community,” they wrote. “Honestly, how much of a threat are we?”
Rubenstein stressed that safety for the officers, staff, the community and other prisoners is the top priority of officers.
The commissioner also had a deputy survey the entire institution and found it to be in good working condition.
“He said actually there’s a lot of good people there doing the right thing,” Rubenstein said.
Copyright 2008 Charleston Newspapers