The June 2005 Coalition for Prisoners’ Rights Newsletter has reported:
“CCA/FCC (Florence Correctional Center) has condoned the recruiting of officers into a gang known as “Hell Hounds”! Officers are getting this tattooed on their right forearms. Initiation is assaulting prisoners after they are cuffed...”
Surprised? That such a guard gang exists? Surprised that it is condoned by the CCA prisoncrats running this place, or their corporate masters in Tennessee? Do you imagine that Alaska’s corrections officials are ignorant of the fact? Believe this” even if ignorant, they would not be surprised. Alaska corrections officials have a long history of concealing and covering up the abuse and violence perpetrated against the prisoners that they have exiled into the care and custody of their out-of-state private prison contractor, Corrections Corporation of America (CCA).
For example, in 1999 while then Commissioner, Margaret Pugh, was publicly stating that she had every confidence that Alaska prisoners housed in CCA’s out-of-state private prison were safe, she, Director of Institutions, Allen Cooper, and Assistant Attorney General John Bodick had been interviewed by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation as part of an on-going investigation of abuse of Alaska prisoners. She then attempted to hide the purpose of that interview from the Court and public. In a report, filed under seal in the Anchorage Superior Court (**1), the Court Appointed Compliance Monitor, John Hagar, reported that Commissioner Pugh had told him that the F.B.I. was inquiring about “‘dated’ allegation of excessive use of force, and that no present danger existed concerning the Alaskans...” Hagar discovered her statement to be untrue when F.B.I. Agent Snow informed him that the CCA employees who were under investigation, and who were ‘line officers’ at the time of the incidents, were now in ‘management positions’ and that Alaska prisoners were at risk.
In another incident, Alaskan prisoners housed in segregation were physically assaulted, including with broom handles through the cell food tray slots, by guards “extracting” them from their cells. In a report (**2), also submitted to the Anchorage Superior Court, Patrick T. Maher, E. Crim., reviewed a video tape of these cell extractions – yes, there was video tape! – in which he described the abuse. Shown on the tape, was a prisoner, handcuffed and chained, face down on the floor, subdued after his “extraction,” who then had his head pulled up by the hair and his face sprayed with some chemical agent. The report finds that the chemical assault was likely a felony assault.
Again, reports from the court appointed compliance monitor show that in March of 2000, during a general lockdown and search of Alaska prisoners’ cells”
“...the inmates were harassed, forced to assume unnecessary, humiliating, and painful postures, and threatened. In other cases, inmates who asked questions or who SORT [Special Operations Response Team – reported to be heavily infested by “Hell Hound” members] personnel deemed to be uncooperative, were “taken down” or otherwise restrained. A number of inmate injuries were reported that were consistent with take downs and other forms of restraint. There was no evidence of Alaskan inmates resisting the search process, nor was there any precipitating event that justified using riot gear (e.g. batons, 49 mm gas guns, etc.) during the search process.” (**3)
Although buried in court records, all efforts to have the above noted reports and video tape made widely available to the public have been blocked by Alaska Corrections officials.
Do not think that only Alaska prisoners housed under contract to CCA’s Florence facility have been affected. Inquire of Oregon prison officials why they removed all their contract prisoners from CCA’s custody – the sexual abuse of female prisoners was well reported in Prison Legal News, www.prisonlegalnews.org Luckily for them, they could complain and hope for some relief. But, what about the hundreds and hundreds of non-English speaking Mexican illegals housed here under contract with the federal government?
If you doubt the existence of CCA’s “Hell Hounds,” consider that during the above incidents, the present Warden, Frank Luna, was then Assistant Warden. And, the son of then Warden Samdberg is presently a supervising line officer at this facility...and bears a “Hell Hound” tattoo.
If you believe that Alaska’s corrections officials really care and will address this issue, well, call and ask them what they have done. Corrections Commissioner Marc Antrim’s telephone number is 907-465-4652; his Director of Institutions Mike Addington’s telephone number is 907-269-7409. Or, better yet, call your State Legislator; If you don’t know who they are, call the Legislative Affairs Agency at 907-465-3800 and they can tell you