By Tom Eldred,
Delaware State News
WILMINGTON — A former security expert for the federal Bureau of Prisons urged Gov. Ruth Ann Minner's prison task force Friday to expand its investigation beyond the July 12, 2004, abduction and rape of a counselor at the Delaware Correctional Center near Smyrna.
Douglas Ingram, of Lincoln, addressed the panel after the group discussed a recommendation from a hired consultant that the probe focus only on the hostage-taking incident because a more comprehensive review of the Department of Correction would be too large a perspective in the time allotted.
Gov. Minner asked the task force to complete its work and file a report by Jan. 31, 2005.
"I believe this commission must expand its inquiry to include the whole DOC,'' Mr. Ingram told the task force during its meeting at the New Castle County Courthouse.
"This department has a security culture that does not recognize or clarify to its staff the importance of security. One only has to look at what occurs on a daily basis.
"Handcuff keys are found lying on the ground inside the institution and nobody knows if an inmate lost it or if a staff member lost it. … If this commission truly wants to help prevent future crises, it will have to answer a lot more questions.
"Why is this department short 300 staff members? Why does this department's staff have near-zero morale? Why does this department have only a 20 percent retention rate after five years? Why does this department's staff not trust or respect their own administration?''
In its third meeting since Gov. Minner created the task force Oct. 6, the seven-member panel received updates on what has been accomplished so far.
Member Rebecca Batson Kidner, participating by phone from Dover, advised her colleagues that nationally recognized corrections expert George M. Camp has been hired as a consultant and has begun actively reviewing information.
In her mandate to the task force, Gov. Minner asked the panel to report "on any conditions at the Delaware Correctional Center that contributed to the hostage incident on July 12, 2004,'' and to "provide recommendations for improving security conditions at (DCC) and/or other state correctional facilities.''
Gov. Minner assembled the task force after DOC issued a report of its own internal investigation of the incident.
The DOC report, released by Correction Commissioner Stanley W. Taylor, contained accounts of interviews with more than 30 correctional officers involved in the incident. It did not indicate who was responsible or what should be done to prevent future incidents.
According to DOC, inmate Scott A. Miller, 45, a serial rapist sentenced to 699 years behind bars, abducted prison counselor Cassandra Arnold, barricaded a room, and kept negotiators at bay for nearly seven hours before he was shot and killed by a correctional officer.
Miller raped Ms. Arnold, 27, before he was killed. She has since filed a federal lawsuit against Gov. Minner, Mr. Taylor and other prison officials. The lawsuit claims that security lapses, inadequate prison staffing, poor supervision and overworked employees contributed directly to her ordeal.
Acknowledging that they are not experts, the task force received permission to hire Mr. Camp, a principal in the Connecticut-based Criminal Justice Institute, at $175 per hour.
"Dr. Camp has all the information we requested and received from (DOC) and has been reviewing it,'' Mrs. Kidner said. "He recommended that we continue to focus on the hostage incident because we'd take on too large a perspective if we take on corrections as a whole.
"He also sent an e-mail with questions, and a laundry list of additional information he thought is needed.''
Member Guy Sapp said he accompanied Mr. Camp when he came to Delaware last Friday to tour DCC and the scene of the rape.
"I was very impressed with him,'' Mr. Sapp said. "I would consider anything he brings to this investigation well worth the expenditure.''
Member Thomas P. McGonigle said four individuals involved in the July 12 incident have already been interviewed from a list of at least 15 initially selected. He said more are planned.
Panel chairman Grover C. Brown said communications were sent to two labor groups representing correctional officers — the Correctional Officers' Association of Delaware and Council 81, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees — seeking input.
He said COAD did not reply and AFSCME indicated the invitation would be discussed at a future meeting.
"At this point, the response is rather underwhelming,'' Mr. Brown said.
COAD president Allan Deal and senior vice president David Knight did not return phone messages seeking comment Friday.
Attorney John F. Brady represents COAD. Contacted after the meeting, Mr. Brady said he did not know if COAD received the invitation or not. "I expect COAD would want to make a response,'' he said.
Gov. Minner said during her re-election campaign that she was directly involved with, and approved of, decisions made by DOC administrators July 12 as to how to end the standoff and disarm Miller.
Asked by a reporter if the panel plans to interview Gov. Minner as part of its probe, Mr. Brown said it hadn't been discussed.
"We haven't considered it one way or another,'' he said. "I imagine that if we did want to interview her that she'd grant the request.''
Ms. Arnold attended the meeting with her lawyers, Jeffrey K. Martin and Herbert G. Feuerhake, and expressed her willingness to be interviewed by the task force. She also warned the panel that many correctional officers are afraid to speak out on issues within DOC for fear of retaliation.
"I was on the Positive Prisons Culture Committee at DCC,'' Ms. Arnold said. "We spoke a lot on that committee about how the negative culture at DCC promoted lax security.
"We asked people to come forward and report these types of things but they wouldn't for fear of being punished. That is so stuck in their heads. That is why they're not coming forward. I know that for a fact. This is a fear they've been living with for years.''
Mr. Ingram concluded his remarks by urging the panel to advocate for major changes.
"I believe from all I know, from all my heart, that this department plays Russian roulette with its staff,'' he said. "It has to stop. July 12 would have happened if correctional officers made $100,000 a year. It's a control issue. It's a culture issue.''
Panel members thanked Mr. Ingram and asked him if they could interview him further. He agreed.
Senior writer Tom Eldred can be reached at 741-8212 or at teldred@newszap.com.
Reprinted with permission from newszap.com www.newszap.com
