Former Warden Held Liable for Prison Attacks

The former warden of a Florida prison is liable for $178,500 in damages to eight male inmates who were raped or beaten while in his custody, a federal judge in West Palm Beach has ruled.

The ruling issued Thursday is believed to be the first time a high-ranking Florida prison official has been held responsible for violent acts of one prisoner against another--and one of the few times it has occurred in the nation.

U.S. District Judge James C. Paine said ex-warden Robert V. Turner showed “careless disregard” for the rights of his prisoners at Glades Correctional Institution in Belle Glade, one of the state’s many overcrowded facilities.

Testimony Details Conditions

Testimony in the case, which was tried before a magistrate in late 1985, detailed fearsome conditions that included gang rapes, stabbings and a competitive drug trade.

“Turner was in a position to take steps that could have averted the attacks . . . but through his callous indifference, failed to do so,” Paine said in the ruling.

The lawsuit was filed in 1982 by inmate Anthony LaMarca, then in prison for burglary. He was later joined in the action by nine other inmates who claimed authorities did little to protect them.