The Jackson County Detention Center is facing new allegations of one inmate sexually assaulting another.
In a new civil lawsuit filed just this month, a former inmate says on September 13, 2016 another male inmate slammed his head into a urinal and raped him as a female guard walked in and did nothing. This allegedly happened just two weeks after two women reported being sexually assaulted in the jail as well.
"I'm heartbroken for him. You can see the pain in his eyes. There's a lot of shame, I think, that goes along with when men are sexually attacked," said Nick Dudley, the attorney representing the former inmate. "Because the jail was overcrowded, he was sleeping on the floor and he was totally exposed."
Jackson County sent us this statement:
The safety of inmates and staff at the Detention Center is always our top priority. In the case of the lawsuit that was filed May 11, 2017, Jackson County cannot comment ongoing legal proceedings.
Dudley said, "It's easy to say that inmate safety is our number one concern, but it's also easy to factually disprove that."
He also cites the number of calls to the sheriff's office. "2013, the Jackson County Sheriff's Department was called out to that jail 13 times in that entire year. Essentially once per month. Maybe even that is too many times. But in 2016, which is when this attack on [my client] took place, the sheriff's department was called out to the jail 161 times."
Dudley tells 41 Action News his client wants things to change at the jail and another round of studies won't fix it. "Frankly, you don't need a study to tell you you should lock the door, you should fix the plumbing, you should train your staff, you should supervise and watch over the inmates that are in your care."
