Women held in a US prison filed a complaint after experiencing a “night of terror” in which the guard, they said, sold entry to their cell to male prisoners who assaulted and raped them.
On October 23, 2021, just before midnight, several inmates of the Clark County Jail in Indiana broke into the women’s room, according to two complaints recently filed in federal court.
These men, who covered their faces with sheets and towels, “threatened, harassed, intimidated and assaulted” them for hours. At least two of them were raped, lawyers for 28 women wrote.
According to them, the prisoners got the key to the women’s dormitories from guard David Lowe. One of the complaints, filed by eight unknown detainees, accuses him of receiving $1,000 for this key.
The strange thing is that there are surveillance cameras […]none of the guards came that night to help “the dozens of victims,” the complainants note.
Moreover, according to the complainants, when one of them finally dared to ask for help, they were punished.
One of the guards, who arrived just after the men had left, deprived the prisoners of their “right to the dark,” ordering them to turn on the lights for 72 hours. In the following days, many of their personal belongings (pillows, pencils, etc.) were confiscated.
These women are asking the court to award them damages for “violation of their civil rights” and to organize a federal trial for guard David Lowe, but also for the mayor who, according to them, failed in his duty to ensure their safety.
The guard has already been suspended and has been charged by Indiana Justice with “failure to perform” and “agreement with an inmate”.
AFP called, and Sharif did not respond.
With over two million inmates, the United States has the largest prison population of all democracies. Their prisons are regularly criticized, and many guards are disciplined each year for various violations.
