Employees from CCA's Adams County Correctional Facility alleged to this blog that Vance Laughlin was or is having a very inappropriate relationship with a member of his staff who works under him. This employee is also allegedly paid in a higher pay grade than they should be. Adams County Correctional Facility staff alleged to this blog that this was possibly some sort of "Quid Pro Quo" action for the alleged CCA staff member being in the relationship with Vance Laughlin.
Before printing this allegation this blog attempted to contact Corrections Corporation of America but they continue to block this blogs email (along with blocking this blogs address from CCA computers). I guess Corrections Corporation of America does not like or care for what we have to say that's critical of them. Possibly the truth just hurts.
All opinions and allegations expressed here are just that. Please cross check anything you read before forming your own decision.
Shining a light on Corrections Corporation of America's (CCA) Stewart Detention Center
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Friday, December 24, 2010
Two Vance Laughlins Not Prosecuting A Staff Member Who Physically Abused A Detainee!
On November 30, 2010 Correction's Corporation of America's own sad little blog posted an entry condemning the Associated Press for releasing footage of an inmate in a CCA facility being attacked to the point that he ended up in a coma while CCA's officers apparently sat on the sidelines and watched the attack without attempting to help the inmate. Even worse than that allegedly the staff members put the inmate in that specific housing unit to allow the inmates to attack him.
CCA some how thinks that they can take the high road on this incident and claim a variety of reasons why they can not talk about the incident. Yet they then proceed to somehow try to spin it into a PR win for CCA.
Well we here at the 270 View are going to call BULLSHIT on this one. In CCA's story they state the following:
"In regard to the incident, CCA management and staff at the Idaho Correctional Center cooperated fully with the Ada County Sheriff's office and Ada County Prosecuting Attorney's office to ensure that inmate James Haver was prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. It is CCA's understanding that Haver plead guilty to both aggravated battery and to committing battery with the intent to promote gang activity, and was sentenced to serve an additional 17 years in prison for his crime. It is also our understanding that CCA's security system video recording of the attack was key to the state's successful prosecution."
they go on to say:
"CCA is committed to safety and security for the community, our employees and the inmates in our care. Every day CCA's dedicated family of nearly 17,000 corrections professionals - including more than 350 in Idaho - face personal risk while fulfilling this commitment. As Mr. Haver's wanton attack illustrates, correctional and medical personnel must often respond to render aid in dangerous situations, not knowing the extent of the risk they may face when they do. Our hard working employees receive a high standard of training and supervision in order to comply with all state and federal standards with respect to the care, custody and control of the inmates and detainees housed in CCA facilities and to ensure reasonable efforts are made to protect the safety and security of the public, CCA employees and inmates housed in our facilities."
Whats ironic to this blog is that at the Stewart Detention Center under Warden Vance Laughlin leadership a correctional officer physically assaulted a detainee in the cafeteria and nothing really happened at all. This officer was caught on camera and filmed conducting the abusive attack on the detainee. It is this blogs understanding that the officer resigned or was fired but that he was not prosecuted for abusing the detainee. I guess sadly that CCA staff members physically abusing a detainee in an ICE facility does not warrant prosecution from Corrections Corporation of America in the same way that an inmate on inmate attack does.
One can only wonder why this attack was not prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. What is known is that CCA and ICE officials viewed the footage of the attack. This blog wonders if Stewart County law enforcement officers were ever allowed to see the footage or received any reports on the attack it is not believed that they were given the chance to investigate the incident. This blog wonders if Vance Laughlin or CCA took these actions in order to attempt to conceal the violation of the detainees rights from the public or detention monitoring groups.
While CCA might have attempted to bury this incident by possibly not reporting it I am sure that one day the true details will come to light. Maybe one day a reporter or a detention monitoring group filing out a few freedom of information requests will turn up a disciplinary action on the employee or an incident report on the abusive attack on the detainee.
This blog again calls for an investigation into the activities that took place under Vance Laughlin's rather poor leadership of the Stewart Detention Center. This blog believes that the string of leadership failures he was responsible for along with the abuse of detainees and failure of CCA staff to comply with mandatory ICE detention standards clearly show that neither Vance Laughlin or Corrections Corporation of America are fit to run taxpayer paid for detention centers like the Stewart Detention Center. This blog continues to wonder how a company like CCA continued to employ Vance Laughlin as a Warden knowing about incidents like the one discussed here today.
All opinions and allegations expressed here are just that. Please cross check anything you read before forming your own decision.
CCA some how thinks that they can take the high road on this incident and claim a variety of reasons why they can not talk about the incident. Yet they then proceed to somehow try to spin it into a PR win for CCA.
Well we here at the 270 View are going to call BULLSHIT on this one. In CCA's story they state the following:
"In regard to the incident, CCA management and staff at the Idaho Correctional Center cooperated fully with the Ada County Sheriff's office and Ada County Prosecuting Attorney's office to ensure that inmate James Haver was prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. It is CCA's understanding that Haver plead guilty to both aggravated battery and to committing battery with the intent to promote gang activity, and was sentenced to serve an additional 17 years in prison for his crime. It is also our understanding that CCA's security system video recording of the attack was key to the state's successful prosecution."
they go on to say:
"CCA is committed to safety and security for the community, our employees and the inmates in our care. Every day CCA's dedicated family of nearly 17,000 corrections professionals - including more than 350 in Idaho - face personal risk while fulfilling this commitment. As Mr. Haver's wanton attack illustrates, correctional and medical personnel must often respond to render aid in dangerous situations, not knowing the extent of the risk they may face when they do. Our hard working employees receive a high standard of training and supervision in order to comply with all state and federal standards with respect to the care, custody and control of the inmates and detainees housed in CCA facilities and to ensure reasonable efforts are made to protect the safety and security of the public, CCA employees and inmates housed in our facilities."
Whats ironic to this blog is that at the Stewart Detention Center under Warden Vance Laughlin leadership a correctional officer physically assaulted a detainee in the cafeteria and nothing really happened at all. This officer was caught on camera and filmed conducting the abusive attack on the detainee. It is this blogs understanding that the officer resigned or was fired but that he was not prosecuted for abusing the detainee. I guess sadly that CCA staff members physically abusing a detainee in an ICE facility does not warrant prosecution from Corrections Corporation of America in the same way that an inmate on inmate attack does.
One can only wonder why this attack was not prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. What is known is that CCA and ICE officials viewed the footage of the attack. This blog wonders if Stewart County law enforcement officers were ever allowed to see the footage or received any reports on the attack it is not believed that they were given the chance to investigate the incident. This blog wonders if Vance Laughlin or CCA took these actions in order to attempt to conceal the violation of the detainees rights from the public or detention monitoring groups.
While CCA might have attempted to bury this incident by possibly not reporting it I am sure that one day the true details will come to light. Maybe one day a reporter or a detention monitoring group filing out a few freedom of information requests will turn up a disciplinary action on the employee or an incident report on the abusive attack on the detainee.
This blog again calls for an investigation into the activities that took place under Vance Laughlin's rather poor leadership of the Stewart Detention Center. This blog believes that the string of leadership failures he was responsible for along with the abuse of detainees and failure of CCA staff to comply with mandatory ICE detention standards clearly show that neither Vance Laughlin or Corrections Corporation of America are fit to run taxpayer paid for detention centers like the Stewart Detention Center. This blog continues to wonder how a company like CCA continued to employ Vance Laughlin as a Warden knowing about incidents like the one discussed here today.
All opinions and allegations expressed here are just that. Please cross check anything you read before forming your own decision.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Three Vance Laughlins Allowing HR Departments To Abuse Staff
We have heard allegations that Vance Laughlins HR Department in Natchez is a mess. Oddly this to seems like a common theme with Vance. At the Stewart Detention Center Vance's HR department was causing employees all kind of grief. This allegedly lead to staff members vandalising the HR Managers car because they were so fed up. Vance Laughlin then had to assign Managers assigned parking spots just to get his HR Manager a spot on camera because of all the alleged vandalism to her car.
Speaking personally I know how inefficient and vindictive the HR Manager at the Stewart Detention Center was. Vance Laughlin received numerous complaints and seemed to do absolutely nothing to resolve them. This was a HR Manager that would loose your checks, short your paycheck and even pay you for less hours than the Warden had signed off on weekly time sheets. It seemed like the HR Manager would do whatever she felt like to cause staff members grief on more than one occasion. It could take days or weeks to get your back pay. I know for a fact that this went on even at the holidays and if you complained it would even take longer. Vance Laughlin would repeatedly tell you that you would be getting your back pay in a day or two but it would never show up. On at least one occassion his boss at the corporate office was asked about the missing back pay that Vance had allegedly talked to him about getting fixed, but he was not even aware of the problem. Apparently at times Vance Laughlin was less than honest in trying to fix things like employees missing pay.
Adams County Correctional Facility employees from Natchez County, Mississippi have contacted this blog to allege that the same time of activities are going on at ACCF. It's a shame that CCA corporate staff seems to have such a sorry history of addressing concerns like this. I wish these employees luck but sadly I can not see either Vance Laughlin or CCA corporate staff addressing them. These types of personal abuses of power seem acceptable in the CCA working world. These issues could easily be addressed if CCA corporate staff would allow workers to contact them directly through an 800 number. But by making them go through a facility HR department and facilities Warden it allows a culture of abuse to possibly take shape with little to no chance of workers getting there HR issues resolved.
All opinions and allegations expressed here are just that. Please cross check anything you read before forming your own decision.
Speaking personally I know how inefficient and vindictive the HR Manager at the Stewart Detention Center was. Vance Laughlin received numerous complaints and seemed to do absolutely nothing to resolve them. This was a HR Manager that would loose your checks, short your paycheck and even pay you for less hours than the Warden had signed off on weekly time sheets. It seemed like the HR Manager would do whatever she felt like to cause staff members grief on more than one occasion. It could take days or weeks to get your back pay. I know for a fact that this went on even at the holidays and if you complained it would even take longer. Vance Laughlin would repeatedly tell you that you would be getting your back pay in a day or two but it would never show up. On at least one occassion his boss at the corporate office was asked about the missing back pay that Vance had allegedly talked to him about getting fixed, but he was not even aware of the problem. Apparently at times Vance Laughlin was less than honest in trying to fix things like employees missing pay.
Adams County Correctional Facility employees from Natchez County, Mississippi have contacted this blog to allege that the same time of activities are going on at ACCF. It's a shame that CCA corporate staff seems to have such a sorry history of addressing concerns like this. I wish these employees luck but sadly I can not see either Vance Laughlin or CCA corporate staff addressing them. These types of personal abuses of power seem acceptable in the CCA working world. These issues could easily be addressed if CCA corporate staff would allow workers to contact them directly through an 800 number. But by making them go through a facility HR department and facilities Warden it allows a culture of abuse to possibly take shape with little to no chance of workers getting there HR issues resolved.
All opinions and allegations expressed here are just that. Please cross check anything you read before forming your own decision.
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