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Guards Allegedly Humiliate Retarded Inmate

By Jeralyn, Section Inmates and Prisons
Posted on Thu Apr 03, 2003 at 02:01:20 PM EST
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How low can corrections officers get? Read on, from today's Boston Herald:
A mentally retarded black inmate was handcuffed behind his back and forced to eat cake like a dog for the amusement of six white Essex County correction officers, who apparently forgot security cameras were rolling overhead, a source and authorities said.

``They were pushing his face down into the cake, flicking his ears,'' the source said. The source, who has not seen the tape but had its contents relayed to him, charged inmate Arthur Austin was made to kneel on the floor with his arms handcuffed behind his back, while his face was shoved in the cake.

Essex Sheriff Frank Cousins confirmed Austin was handcuffed, but said he was told he was fed from a countertop. ``There is a recording of this incident,'' Cousins, who has not seen the tape, acknowledged yesterday.

The humiliating horseplay, which Cousins said was played out at least two times and possibly three on Sunday, has resulted in Capt. Elaine Bushway and correction officers Jason Copp, Brian Lavoie, Rob Kostin, Joseph Goldstein and Thomas Francesconi being placed on paid administrative leave.

... a nurse in the infirmary at the Essex County Correctional Facility in Middleton, where the alleged abuse took place, spoke up.

The officers were promptly escorted off jail property, Cousins said. Cousins would not say whether the nurse was present when Austin was brought in and restrained while his tormentors allegedly cheered.

A jail source told the Herald Austin has the intelligence of a third-grader, is ``heavily medicated'' for his mental health issues and may have thought he should do as he was told.

...The source didn't know who instigated the alleged abuse, but said Bushway, who's in charge of the infirmary, made no attempt to stop it. ``On the tape she was laughing and clapping,'' the source said. ``Apparently she thought it was hysterical.''

Austin, the source said, is housed in a protective-custody unit with about 120 other inmates. The source said officers threatened him to keep quiet.

... Austin has been incarcerated for drug charges for about two years and ``has some disability issues. He's a sad case.''

Cousins conceded he was perplexed as to why his officers would allegedly pull such a stunt when, ``All of my employees have full knowledge that we have cameras in the common areas.'' The digital cameras in the infirmary are in plain view, he said. All six officers are longtime employees at the jail, save for Francesconi, Cousins said.
[lthanks to The Bloviator for the link]
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