By Garry Lenton
The Patriot-News
DAUPHIN COUNTY, Penn. — Video cameras inside Dauphin County Prison have again proved helpful to investigators probing allegations of inmate abuse.
This time, county law enforcement officials said, the tape failed to support inmate Douglas Harris’ claim he was punched in the face by a guard.
In July, prosecutors cited prison video and other evidence as justification to file assault charges against correctional officer Daniel Hosler. Hosler, whose case was bound over for court, was charged with using excessive force against two inmates.
A video shows Hosler pushing inmate Lisa Adams’ head into a metal door frame as he escorted her down a hallway, according to authorities. Adams was handcuffed at the time.
“I want video everywhere [inside the prison], said District Attorney Edward M. Marsico Jr. “That would make everything easier.
Prison officials did not respond to requests for comment for this story. But the prison board has approved plans to add 96 cameras to the 104 in place in the prison.
Harris, 21, of Penbrook, is in prison for a parole violation. He told his parents in letters that his nose was broken when a correctional officer punched him April 17. Harris’ letter was shared with The Patriot-News and described in a June 3 story.
But video recorded near the location Harris said the punch occurred does not support his story, Marsico said.
The tape, which was described to The Patriot-News, shows Harris being led by guards into a room where he said he was beaten. Though no video was recorded inside the room, the tape shows Harris emerging a short time later with no apparent injuries, Marsico said.
In addition to the video, investigators took statements from other inmates who said Harris told them he was not touched by a guard and was “doing this for the money.”
Harris was charged with filing a false report with police.
He is the second inmate to be charged with lying to authorities about alleged abuses by prison staff.
In the first six months of this year, Marsico’s office has been called to investigate about a dozen complaints. About half that number have been resolved. Three were dropped for lack of evidence, two resulted in the charges against Hosler, and two resulted in charges of false reports against the inmates making them.
This summer, after a meeting sponsored by the Greater Harrisburg Branch of the NAACP, Marsico’s office picked up an additional 10 cases, some dating to the 1990s. All are being reviewed, he said.
The abuse allegations have put the county prison under intense public scrutiny. The Harrisburg chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Lewisburg Prison Project, the Pennsylvania Prison Society and members of the clergy have called for probes into the allegations, which spiked this year.
Prison officials and Marsico, who is a member of the prison board, have worked with citizen groups and clergy to make the jail and its operations more transparent. The prison took several community representatives on a tour of the facility in August.
Will the charges against Harris weaken activists’ push to probe conditions at the jail? No, say those who are involved.
“It bothers me that it happened, but it doesn’t discourage me,” said Stan Lawson, president of the Harrisburg NAACP chapter. “This is just one person.”
He noted that charges were also filed against a guard.
“I don’t say all guards are bad, and I don’t think all prisoners are perfect,” he said. “I reserve my opinions on both of them until they go to court.”
Cheryl Humes, chief counsel for the Lewisburg Prison Project, a prison watchdog group, said the Harris case won’t hamper the group’s interest in pursuing questions about inmate treatment in Dauphin County.
“This is a fairly common tactic to discredit inmates. I hear this type of thing all the time, she said.
Humes, who interviewed Harris after the alleged incident, said she was skeptical of the charges filed against him by Marsico.
“I don’t really see that they’ve presented a lot of evidence,” she said. “It will probably be one inmate’s word against another’s.”
Copyright 2007 The Patriot News Co.