Humpday Hall of Shame: CCA Refuses Moment of Silence to Honor Employee Slain During Prison Riot

Last week Grassroots Leadership joined people from around the country in Nashville, TN to protest outside of Corrections Corporation of America's annual shareholder meeting where, this year, the for-profit prison company was "celebrating" their 30th anniversary.  Among the protestors was long-time Grassroots Leadership ally Alex Friedmann who is a former prisoner and current President of the Private Corrections Institute (PCI).  Alex spent six years in a CCA-operated prison and since his incarceration he has dedicated his life to criticizing the private, for-profit prison industry.  To that end, he became a CCA shareholder in order to engage in shareholder activism.  Alex owns enough shares in the company to attend shareholder meetings and to advance shareholder resolutions; a tool that he has used to try and force the hand of the company to acknowledge and address its record of abuse, neglect and mismanagment.  

Before entering the shareholder meeting, Alex told us of his intent to ask CCA to acknowledge that it had falsified staffing records at its Idaho facility, and to share its plan for addressing this problem at its other facilities.  He also share with us his intention to request  a moment of silence for Catlin Carithers, a 24 year old CCA employee who was killed during a riot at CCA's Adams County Correctional Facility in Natchez, Mississippi on May 20, 2012.  He planned on following the initial request with another request to honor the deaths of all people that have passed away in CCA facilities since its inception.  Board Chairman John D. Ferguson flatly denied the request to honor officer Carithers.  In a press release issued by PCI Alex remarks, "This is callous and insensitive.  It is also indicative of the value CCA places on its employees."    

When Alex emerged from the shareholder's meeting, he shared with us this report-back on camera.  He told us about the company's refusal to honor Carithers death, and said that, having denied that request, there was no room to honor other CCA deaths.  

 

 

The lives of those who have died while incarcerated or employed at CCA facilities deserve to be honored.  Below we share a working list of those individuals and we know it is incomplete.  Let's take this opportunity, the occaision of Corrections Corporation of American's 30th anniversary, to honor those who have passed  by ensuring that CCA does not celebrate another birthday and that no more people die at the hands of this company.  

 

Prisoner Deaths

Rosalind Bradford, 1987, Silverdale, medical

Alton Manning, 1995, HM Prison Blakenhurst (UK), death while being restrained

John Cowley, 1996, HM Prison Blakenhurst (UK), suicide

Michael Cephus, 1997, Youngstown, medical

William Christian, 1997, HCCF, homicide

Charles Edward Guffey, 1997, Tulsa Jail (David L. Moss Criminal Justice Center), medical

Reginald Edmonds, 1998, HCCF, suicide

Ralph Carpenter, 1998, South Central Corr. Facility (SCCF), medical

Corey Smith, 1998, West TN Detention Facility, homicide

Stanley R. Rice, 1998, Youngstown, medical

Perry Clay, 1998, Youngstown, medical

Bill Hambly, 1998, Torrance County Jail, homicide

Gregory Allen Pope Sr., 1998, Tulsa Jail, medical

Bryson Chisley, 1998, Youngstown, homicide

Derrick David, 1998, Youngstown, homicide

Paula Richardson, 1998, MWCC (Australia), suicide

Geronimo Gonzales-Quintanilla, 1998, Torrance County Detention Facility, medical (after being restrained)

Donnell Reed, 1999, Correctional Treatment Facility (DC), during escape attempt

James Lebron Hurt, 1999, Silverdale Detention Facility, suicide

Merlin Lee Foster, 2000, Tulsa Jail, medical

Cory Adam Morris, 2000, Tulsa Jail, suicide

Leonia Sanchez Arriaga, 2000, Tulsa Jail, medical (head injury after assault)

Michael Schrecongost, 2000, Kit Carson, overdose

Marvin Borjas Diaz-Perez, 2001, West Tennessee Detention Facility, medical

Shane M. Spencer, 2001, Tulsa Jail, medical

Tom Harris, 2001, SCCC, homicide

Conrado Mestas Ochoa, 2001, Eden Detention Center, unknown

Jeffrey Buller, 2001, Kit Carson, medical

Calvin Lamy, 2001, Torrance Co. Detention Facility, suicide

Iulai Amani, 2001, Florence Corr. Center, medical

Antonio Lewis Franklin, 2002, Citrus County Jail, medical

Laren Sims Jordan, 2002, Hernando County Jail, suicide

Chad Littles, 2002, Bay County Jail, homicide

Justin Sturgis, 2002, Bay County Jail, medical

Benjamin David Brown, 2002, Correctional Treatment Facility (DC), medical

Estelle Richardson, 2004, MDF, homicide

Kevin Scott, 2004, Shelby Training Center, suicide

Sondria Allen, 2004, Tulsa Jail, accident

Scott Ray Dickens, 2002, Tulsa Jail, suicide

Michael Andrew Jones, 2004, Tulsa Jail, suicide

Jonathan Magbie, 2004, Correctional Treatment Facility (DC), medical

William Henry Cantor, 2004, Bay County Jail, suicide

Stacy Allan Tolbert, 2004, Bay County Jail, medical

Maria Solis-Perez, 2004, Houston Processing Center, medical

Jose Lopez-Lara, 2004, Eloy Detention Center, medical

James L, Kirk, Jr., 2004, WCF, suicide

Sarah Ah Mau, 2005, Otter Creek, medical

James T. Sly, 2005, Bay County Jail, suicide

Adam Gene Lippert, 2005, Cimarron Corr. Facility, homicide

Maya Nand, 2005, Eloy Detention Center, medical

Felipe Gonzalez, 2005, Tulsa Jail, suicide

Elias Lopez, 2005, Eloy Detention Center, medical

Emma Nobles, 2005, Gadsden Correctional Facility, medical

Daniel Ray Warren, 2005, Hernando County Jail, suicide

Walter Alvarez-Esquivel, 2005, Laredo Processing Center, medical

Reinaldo Prado-Arencilia, 2005, Houston Processing Center, medical

Juan Salazar-Gomez, 2005, Eloy Detention Center, suicide

Jose Lopez-Gregorio, 2006, Eloy Detention Center, suicide

Mario Francisco Chavez-Torres, 2006, Eloy Detention Center, medical

Geoffrey M. Conley, 2006, Hernando County Jail, suicide

Jose Lopez-Gregario, 2006, Eloy Detention Center, suicide

John T. Wells, 2006, Hernando County Jail, medical

Truoc Tran, 2006, Hernando County Jail, suicide

Brian Keith Allen, 2006, Marion County Jail II (IN), medical

Charles Repass, 2006, Marion County Jail II (IN), medical

Anthony Kelly, 2007, West Tennessee Detention Facility, medical

Latasha Dorean Glover, 2007, Otter Creek, medical

Edward Duritsky, 2007, Hernando County Jail, medical

Felix Franklin Rodriguez-Torres, 2007, Eloy Detention Center, medical

Anthony David Bowman, 2007, SCCC, medical

Boubacar Bah, 2007, Elizabeth Detention Center, medical

Rusty Hightower, 2007, Red Rock, unknown/found unresponsive in cell

Emmanuel Owusu, 2008, Eloy Detention Center, medical

David Drashner, 2008, Northfork Corr. Facility, homicide

Joseph Alexie, 2008, Red Rock, medical

Robert Washington, 2008, Tallahatchie Co. Corr. Facility, medical

Terry Wayne Battle, 2008, MDF, medical

Gerald Townsend, 2008, MDF, homicide

Gregory Cole, 2008, Bradshaw State Jail, suicide

Ashleigh Shae Parks, 2008, Dawson State Jail, medical

Stephanie Rhaney, 2008, Gadsden Correctional Facility, unknown

Beverly Ford Murphy, 2008, Otter Creek, medical

Leonard Odom, 2009, Wheeler County Corr. Facility, unknown

Thomas Detric Adderson, 2009, Willacy Unit, medical

William Williams, 2009, MDF, suicide

Geoffrey A. Scheid, 2009, Bent County Correctional Facility, suicide

Roberto Medina-Martinez, 2009, Stewart Detention Center, medical

Joseph Curtis, 2009, during transport by TransCor, heatstroke

Alan Young, 2009, West TN Detention Facility, suicide

Pam Weatherby, 2010, Dawson State Jail, medical

Bronson Nunuha, 2010, Saguaro, homicide

Clifford Medina, 2010, Saguaro, homicide

Terrell Griswold, 2010, Bent County Correctional Facility, medical

Joseph Mixon, 2010, Bay Correctional Facility, unknown

Eddie Moore, 2010, Leflore County Jail, medical

Andres Valdez, 2011, Kit Carson, transport van accident

Pablo Gracida-Conte, 2011, Eloy Detention Center, medical

Miguel Hernandez, 2011, North Georgia Detention Center, medical

Derek Criddle, 2011, Delta Corr. Facility, homicide

Shebaa Green, 2012, Dawson State Jail, medical

Michael A. Nelson, 2012, Lake Erie Corr. Institution, overdose

Demond Flowers, 2013, Wilkinson County Correctional Facility, homicide

Jorge Garcia-Mejia, 2013, Eloy Detention Center, suicide

Elsa Guadalupe-Gonzales, 2013, Eloy Detention Center, suicide

Dustin Henning, 2013, HCCF, unknown

Raequayah Shropshire, 2013, Silverdale Detention Facility, medical

 

Babies that have died after being born by the following women in CCA custody: 

Meredith Manning, 2004, Metro-Davidson County Detention Facility (Elisha Edward Manning)

Countess Clemons, 2010, Silverdale Detention Facility (Roland Clemons)

Autumn Miller, 2012, Dawson State Jail (Gracie Miller)

 

Staff Deaths

Delbert Steed, January 2002, Hardeman Co. Corr. Facility (HCCF), homicide

Catlin Carithers, May 2012, Adams County Correctional Center, homicide

Grace Cortez, Dec. 2011, Kit Carson Corr. Facility, preventable van accident

Carla Meade, Jan. 2008, Otter Creek, suicide in the warden’s office