02.12
250 inmates have transferred out of Hays prison as the state begins replacing fixtures that easily become weapons. The prison has also issued new safety gear to guards, but more substantial changes still need to be made; Seems it only took four deaths to finally get the ball rolling.
The new warden says he’s not going anywhere until the problems are fixed, or the state is satisfied that they are. He also says “every cell door in Hays State Prison was fitted with a control mechanism that has not been, in any way, compromised” and the prison has enough guards.
Georgia officials were aware of broken door locks at Hays State Prison back in 2010. Funding was allocated for repairs, but problems with door locks kept getting worse while Department of Corrections directors told elected leaders things were being taken care of.
- WQCH Radio, 02/08/13: “STATE SENATOR JEFF MULLIS IS CALLING FOR A THOROUGH INVESTIGATION OF SECURITY PROCEDURES AT HAYS STATE PRISON.
- “IN A STATEMENT RELEASED THURSDAY, MULLIS SAID ‘WHILE THE APPOINTMENT OF A NEW WARDEN IS A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, IT IS NOT THE FINAL SOLUTION. BEFORE WE CAN ENGAGE IN OPEN AND HONEST CONVERSATIONS ABOUT HOW HAYS STATE PRISON MOVES FORWARD, WE MUST LET STATE OFFICIALS CONDUCT A THOROUGH INVESTIGATION THAT ANALYZES ALL CURRENT SECURITY PROCEDURES AND PROTOCOLS’.”
Problems at the prison, which became all too obvious in recent weeks, go beyond bad decisions made by prison leaders – they come from the very top of state government.
- “There is clearly a problem of inattention to violence at Hays, but the rot is more deeply and politically rooted in the Atlanta Legislature and Gov. Deal’s office, where the blame really lies.”
Update on the child molestation case filed against a Cedar Street man: Apparently the child testified to the abuse while at the Fort O. Child Advocacy Center, which has had some credibility problems in the past. Report says the suspect initially denied charges but then confessed to them en route to a polygraph, then threatened to kill himself. Based on this, it’s not clear if he ever had a lie detector test or not.
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