Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment
Recently I was sexually assaulted and sexually harassed by a corrections officers at the state prison at Frackville in East-Central Pennsylvania. Here's my story.
I went to the prison infirmary to receive my medical treatment at about 7:45 in the evening. A guard known for his aggressive and overbearing ways, patted me down. He roughly slapped around on my upper body. Next he roughly started feeling up my left leg. At my groin he was feeling hard. I complained to him, "that's my balls!"
He then started up my right leg, even more roughly. Reaching my groin, he did the same thing again, but even harder this time. I yelled, "that's my balls. This is sexual harassment."
"Shut up and get your treatment," the guard bellowed at me.
The infirmary waiting area was crowded with witnesses who saw the assault and heard our exchange.
I said no more, but as I left after receiving medical treatment, the same guard ran out of the treatment area shouting to me, "spell my name right."
I replied that I didn't need to spell his name. I intended to phone my family to contact the proper officials in order to file a sexual harassment report against him.
Livid and snorting, the guard ordered me back. He shouted and threatened me. I repeated that my people will phone the right officials about the matter.
Later that evening, I was summoned to talk to a guard lieutenant. I told him what had occurred and that the guard had sexually assaulted me. I repeated my intentions to have my family contact the proper legal authorities so that I could file a sexual harassment report.
In order to intimidate me and prevent my making a legal report as allowed by the both the law and prison rules see DC-ADM 001 DC-ADM 004 and DC-ADM 008 relating to sexual assault), the lieutenant ordered me into a wheelchair. I was going to be put into the hole for threatening the guard. Of course, it's no really a threat to tell an offender that one intends to make a legal report. The lieutenant refused to file my sexual harassment report although specifically requires him to do so.
I was placed in the RHU which is what the prison hole is called. My crutches were taken from me so that I couldn't get out of bed and so on. I was further harassed by having my meals and medical treatment withheld. It was an effort to obstruct justice and the report of the sexual offense.
The evening I was put into the hole, I reported the sexual assault to guards there. They did nothing. I filed a grievance about the sexual assault and sexual harassment. The answer I received was that "security" looked into the charge and addressed it, but nobody ever interviewed me or got my story until I wrote one back to the staff. About three weeks later, the same lieutenant who'd put me into the hole came to talk to me again. He still refused to take my statement. The lieutenant excused the guards conduct as they always do. I responded that I'd been in prison for 24 years and that was the first time a guard had felt me up like that. I repeated that I wished to file a formal sexual assault and harassment complaint.
When nothing was done, I again submitted a complaint this time against the lieutenant and staff. A few days later the same lieutenant appeared again and reluctantly took a statement, but still refused to follow prison regulations to investigate the guard.
At my misconduct hearing the hearing officer refused to take my "Inmate's Version" form because I wrote out the sexual assault/harassment incident. The hearing officer who's just a rubber stamp for the staff's abuses, sentenced me to 60 days in the hole. On appeal the sentence was reduced to 30 days of which I served 29 days in the hole. During that time I was frequently refused showers and meals. I couldn't access the law library. Some of the guards working the hole were harassing me because they didn't want me to file the sexual harassment charge.
Now that I'm out of the hole I'm still being harassed by guards who don't want it to get out that this kind of sexual assault is going on and being covered up. I'm not the only prisoner that this guard has assaulted. Names, dates and all particulars of the sexual assault and of the campaign to cover it up are available upon request. This pattern of abuse and obstruction warrants police investigation.
I went to the prison infirmary to receive my medical treatment at about 7:45 in the evening. A guard known for his aggressive and overbearing ways, patted me down. He roughly slapped around on my upper body. Next he roughly started feeling up my left leg. At my groin he was feeling hard. I complained to him, "that's my balls!"
He then started up my right leg, even more roughly. Reaching my groin, he did the same thing again, but even harder this time. I yelled, "that's my balls. This is sexual harassment."
"Shut up and get your treatment," the guard bellowed at me.
The infirmary waiting area was crowded with witnesses who saw the assault and heard our exchange.
I said no more, but as I left after receiving medical treatment, the same guard ran out of the treatment area shouting to me, "spell my name right."
I replied that I didn't need to spell his name. I intended to phone my family to contact the proper officials in order to file a sexual harassment report against him.
Livid and snorting, the guard ordered me back. He shouted and threatened me. I repeated that my people will phone the right officials about the matter.
Later that evening, I was summoned to talk to a guard lieutenant. I told him what had occurred and that the guard had sexually assaulted me. I repeated my intentions to have my family contact the proper legal authorities so that I could file a sexual harassment report.
In order to intimidate me and prevent my making a legal report as allowed by the both the law and prison rules see DC-ADM 001 DC-ADM 004 and DC-ADM 008 relating to sexual assault), the lieutenant ordered me into a wheelchair. I was going to be put into the hole for threatening the guard. Of course, it's no really a threat to tell an offender that one intends to make a legal report. The lieutenant refused to file my sexual harassment report although specifically requires him to do so.
I was placed in the RHU which is what the prison hole is called. My crutches were taken from me so that I couldn't get out of bed and so on. I was further harassed by having my meals and medical treatment withheld. It was an effort to obstruct justice and the report of the sexual offense.
The evening I was put into the hole, I reported the sexual assault to guards there. They did nothing. I filed a grievance about the sexual assault and sexual harassment. The answer I received was that "security" looked into the charge and addressed it, but nobody ever interviewed me or got my story until I wrote one back to the staff. About three weeks later, the same lieutenant who'd put me into the hole came to talk to me again. He still refused to take my statement. The lieutenant excused the guards conduct as they always do. I responded that I'd been in prison for 24 years and that was the first time a guard had felt me up like that. I repeated that I wished to file a formal sexual assault and harassment complaint.
When nothing was done, I again submitted a complaint this time against the lieutenant and staff. A few days later the same lieutenant appeared again and reluctantly took a statement, but still refused to follow prison regulations to investigate the guard.
At my misconduct hearing the hearing officer refused to take my "Inmate's Version" form because I wrote out the sexual assault/harassment incident. The hearing officer who's just a rubber stamp for the staff's abuses, sentenced me to 60 days in the hole. On appeal the sentence was reduced to 30 days of which I served 29 days in the hole. During that time I was frequently refused showers and meals. I couldn't access the law library. Some of the guards working the hole were harassing me because they didn't want me to file the sexual harassment charge.
Now that I'm out of the hole I'm still being harassed by guards who don't want it to get out that this kind of sexual assault is going on and being covered up. I'm not the only prisoner that this guard has assaulted. Names, dates and all particulars of the sexual assault and of the campaign to cover it up are available upon request. This pattern of abuse and obstruction warrants police investigation.
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