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Saturday, March 29, 1997

Investigation finds boys were touched but not abused at prison

PLANO, Texas (AP) - An investigation has found that Collin County youths visiting an East Texas prison in a "scared straight" field trip were touched by inmates but not sexually abused as they claimed, officials say.

The youths from the Country Place Adolescent Residential Treatment Center visited the Eastham Unit near Lovelady on Feb. 14.

Five boys later said they had been fondled by inmates, and authorities at the 2,300-inmate prison responded by suspending several corrections officers who might have witnessed the alleged incidents.

But prison spokesman Larry Fitzgerald said an investigation determined that, while the boys might have been touched, they were not fondled.

"We found that nothing else happened," Fitzgerald told The Dallas Morning News.

Officials said three employees at the Eastham prison will be punished for their actions associated with the Country Place tour. A decision on the exact penalties is expected soon. None of the employees was named.

"Any touching is inappropriate and a violation of written policy," Wayne Scott, executive director of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, said in a news release issued Thursday. "Had existing policy been followed, this incident would not have happened."

Management at Country Place refused to comment Friday. But a statement released Thursday through the facility's public relations firm said it was cooperating with agencies investigating the incident.

Ben Martin, an attorney representing families who sued Country Place over the incident, said the prison department's findings do not affect his clients' claims.

"We believe that there was inappropriate sexual contact," he said.

Country Place is for 12- to 17-year-old boys and girls with psychiatric and substance abuse problems. Fifteen boys and two supervisors from the facility made the trip, designed to show the boys prison life.

The families have not ruled out the possibility of filing a lawsuit against the department, Martin said.

Two high-level Eastham officials will face administrative penalties for mismanagement of the Country Place tour. Officials said they failed to ensure that the officers giving the tours followed the department's written policies.

The results of the investigation are being turned over to a Houston County grand jury. Fitzgerald said he does not expect any criminal charges to be filed.

The department's findings were shared with the state Department of Protective and Regulatory Services, which is investigating Country Place. The finding that no sexual contact occurred between inmates and youths agreed with information that the agency had, Fitzgerald said.

Officials with the justice department said all future juvenile visitors will be limited to an outreach program that gives them access only to certain inmates. There also will be special training for both tour guides and inmates. Send a Letter to the Editor about This Story | Start or Join A Discussion about This Story
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