Abuse of O.C. Prison Inmates Is Ignored
Re “Jail Crowding in O.C. Far Exceeds Limits,” May 22: I first scoffed, then recoiled after reading how crowding in Orange County jails is stressful but not dangerous to inmates and deputies. Having personally heard dozens of detailed and believable accounts of abuse during interviews with clients at the Orange County Men’s Central Jail, I can’t understand how the grand jury failed to acknowledge the assaults that occur there daily. More than once, I have met with clients inside the jail and seen split lips, black eyes and walnut-sized lumps on foreheads and have been told how a guard inflicted a beating for a real or purported rule violation.
Particularly with what we are finding out about Americans’ treatment of prisoners in Iraq, I would think that any serious investigation of jail or prison conditions would involve interviewing inmates and their representatives.
A full investigation needs to look at what happens not only in the cellblocks and reception areas of our jails but also in the remote corners and rooms where cameras and witnesses are not a concern.
Scott Ciment
Attorney
Newport Beach
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