WNED-AM 970 NEWS
(2009-10-01)
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WNED's Chris Caya covered the hearings. Click the play button above to hear his detailed report.
More than a dozen people provided the Legislature with nearly 90 minutes of testimony, including Karima Amin. The retired teacher is founder of "Prisoners are People Too." Amin says her group's sentiment is shared by more than two-dozen organizations.
"We want fair treatment, just treatment, professional treatment, decent treatment, humane treatment and clean facilities," said Amin.
Tibet Hafii says she was raped by a gaurd at the Holding Center, denied care and put in isolation for three days.
"They didn't feed me. I had no food. I had no water. I wasn't able to use the telephone. I was hit, slapped, punched, spit-on numerous times. They said that I was a liar, a convict, a criminal," said Hafii.
County Executive Chris Collins and Sheriff Timothy Howard are vowing to fight the Department of Justice Lawsuit announced yesterday. Sheriff Howard says the Department of Justice is relying on unfounded allegations, while Collins calls the suit a frivolous attempt to intimidate taxpayers into paying for excessive care for people who have broken the law.
Critics point out that many people in the Holding Center have not been convicted of a crime.
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