It has reestablished a board of women to advocate on behalf of inmates at Edna Mahan, and officers now undergo more training on gender issues. The damning report was the latest instance of a Justice Department effort to crack down on abuses at state prisons across the nation. Even after officers were informed that the Justice Department was investigating the prison, sexual assault and coercion continued largely unabated, federal investigators found. “This environment emboldens Edna Mahan staff to seek out opportunities for sexual abuse,” the report said. “It is both problematic and emblematic of the problems with the reporting systems at Edna Mahan,” the report said.

Source: bd News24 April 14, 2020 01:52 UTC