By Jennifer Rodriguez
The Charlotte Observer
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — An Ohio corrections officer is suing after she said she was attacked by an inmate at a prison.
The woman was employed at the Northeast Ohio Correctional Center in Youngstown, according to a civil complaint.
“As a general policy and out of respect for the legal process, we do not comment on active or pending litigation. What I can share is that the safety and well-being of our staff and every person in our care is a top priority among leadership at our Northeast Ohio Correctional Center,” a representative with the prison told McClatchy News in a March 18 email.
The lawsuit was initially filed in Mahoning County Court of Common Pleas but was moved to federal court on March 13.
The complaint said on Feb. 8, 2024, the employee was working with another female staff member and the two were “isolated with three male inmates.”
One of the inmates became upset over an incident involving another inmate, the lawsuit said. He then “violently attacked” both of the employees, according to the complaint.
The employee called for backup, but the calls were not answered in a timely manner, the lawsuit said. This allowed the inmate to continue his “brutal” attack on the employee, according to the court document.
The employee suffered “a severe head injury, compression fracture of the cervical spine, cerebral concussion with loss of consciousness, and lumbar sprain,” the lawsuit said.
According to the court document, the prison “often operated without adequate staffing support.” This led to employees reporting concerns over staff retention, and the Correctional Institution Inspection Committee reported that staff rated their safety as “seldom occurring” in 2022 and 2023, the lawsuit said.
It’s the prison’s procedure that staff members are not to be isolated with inmates for extended periods of time, the lawsuit said. However, that’s exactly what happened when the employee was attacked, according to the complaint.
The 2023 inspection report showed that staff rated “the occurrence of policy and procedure being followed as ‘seldom,’” the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit is asking for compensatory damages and punitive damages of over $25,000.
Youngstown is about a 75-mile drive southeast from Cleveland.
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