Women detained in a US jail have filed complaints after witnessing a “night of terror,” a guard who they say sold access to their cell to male prisoners who assaulted and raped them.
On October 23, 2021, just before midnight, several inmates at the Clark County Jail in Indiana broke into the women’s quarters, according to two recent complaints filed in federal court.
These men, who had their faces covered with sheets and towels, “threatened, harassed, intimidated, assaulted” them for hours. At least two of them were raped, write the lawyers of 28 women.
According to them, the prisoners had been given a key to the women’s dormitories by a guard, David Lowe. One of the complaints submitted by eight anonymous inmates accused him of receiving $1,000 for that key.
“Curiously, despite the presence of surveillance cameras (…), not a single one of the guards came to the rescue that night,” of the dozens of victims, the authors note.
Worse, the complainants said, when one of them finally dared to call for help, they were punished.
A guard, who arrived shortly after the men left, stripped the prisoners of their “right to darkness” and ordered them to leave the lights on for 72 hours. In the days that followed, several of her personal belongings (pillows, pens, etc.) were confiscated.
These women are asking the court to award damages for “violations of their civil rights” and to organize a federal trial for Warden David Lowe, but also for the county sheriff, who they say failed in their duty to keep them safe.
The guard has already been suspended and charged by the Indiana judiciary with “failure to perform” and “agreement with an inmate.”
Contacted by AFP, the sheriff did not respond.
With more than two million prisoners, the United States has the largest prison population of any democracy. Their prisons are regularly criticized and many guards are fined for various abuses every year.