Georgia Prison Guards Settle Lawsuit over Alleged Beatings for $93,000
Georgia prison guards accused of beating four inmates have agreed to pay $93,000 to settle a federal lawsuit over the allegations. The Chattanooga Times Free-Press reports:
“We think this recognizes that there is a problem with excessive force at Hays State Prison,” said Atteeyah Hollie, an attorney for the Southern Center for Human Rights.
The Atlanta-based human rights group filed the civil lawsuit in July in federal court in Rome, Ga., on behalf of four inmates. The inmates claim they were beaten when officers responded to a fight in a nearby prison cell in August 2010.
Georgia Department of Corrections officials said they were reviewing questions from the Times Free Press about the suit, but didn’t have a response by Friday afternoon.This is the second time the human rights group has sued the maximum security prison in Trion, Ga., alleging excessive force. A suit was settled in 1997 on behalf of 14 men who claimed they were beaten without reason.
More on the settlement here, from the Atlanta-based Southern Center for Human Rights.
Prison Law Blog 
if you have friday roundup coming:
http://www.kqed.org/a/forum/R201202240930
Governor Jerry Brown has proposed phasing out the state Division of Juvenile Justice over the next three years — a move which the Legislative Analyst’s Office says could save the state more than $100 million. But critics argue the counties don’t have the resources or training to take care of the state’s most violent juvenile offenders.
dmf
February 24, 2012 at 7:26 am