More female inmates allege sex assault at Oregon prison
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Five more inmates at Oregon's prison for women have filed lawsuits accusing staff of sexual abuse.
The lawsuits were filed last week in Marion County Circuit Court seeking $1.1 million for each inmate. A sixth inmate filed a separate suit last month.
The Statesman Journal reports that the latest allegations involve a staff member who works in the prison's kitchen area.
The inmates allege that the Department of Corrections and some of its staff members were aware that sexual abuse of inmates was a "rampant problem" at the Coffee Creek Correctional Institution in Wilsonville. The suit alleges they did nothing to stop it.
Department of Corrections spokeswoman Elizabeth Craig declined to comment on the lawsuit but says the agency has a "zero tolerance" policy for sexual assaults.
Information from: Statesman Journal
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
