Authorities regain control of Texas prison

Inmates had taken part of privatelyrun facility.

make up the facility are not “only foul, cramped and depressing, but also overcrowded.”

The report said inmates reported that their medical concerns were often ignored by staff and that corners were often cut when it came to health care.

Carl Takei, a staff attorney with the ACLU’s National Prison Project, said the courts have determined that the deni- al of appropriate medical care amounts to cruel and unusual punishment. Government institutions like the Bureau of Prisons can’t evade their responsibility to provide inmates with proper med- ical care just by handing control of a prison to a private contractor like MTC, he said.

Takei said problems at the Willacy County prison also include overflowing toilets and sewage that seeps into sleeping areas.

“The unsanitary conditions and overcrowding makes for a tense atmosphere,” he said.

Brian McGiverin, a prisoners’ rights attorney with the Texas Civil Rights Project, said he wasn’t surprised that inadequate medical care could ignite unrest. He said medical care is grossly underfunded in pris- ons, especially those run by private contractors.

“It’s pretty abysmal with regard to modern standards how people should be treated, pretty much anywhere you go,” he said.

But Arnita said the health services at the Willacy County prison are accredited by independent organizations, including The Joint Commission, a national not-for-profit that accredits more than 20,500 health care entities in the U.S.

“We believe offenders receive timely, quality health care,” he said.

ASSOCIATED PRESS Law enforcement officials converge on the Willacy County Correctional Center in Raymondville, Texas on Friday in response to a prisoner uprising at the private immigration detention center. Inmates were dissatisfied with medical services.