Two correctional officers say prison failed to address inmate harassment
The American Federation of Government Employees, the largest union representing federal workers, joined correctional officers Deanna Chelette and Alexzandria Boyd in filing the lawsuit Tuesday in New York. The two women work as correctional officers at a Louisiana federal prison.
The plaintiffs have a pending certified class complaint against the Federal Bureau of Prisons, according to the lawsuit. The complaint alleges that prison management failed to prevent and correct widespread sexual harassment by inmates against female workers. The AP reported that the harassment included rape threats, unwanted touching, and nudity.
The lawsuit claims that the EEOC ordered an indefinite suspension of federal-sector class complaints pending before the agency’s administrative judges. Those judges handle discrimination complaints from federal workers in a process that is different from the process for private-sector workers, the AP reported.