A department of Michigan government had to settle numerous lawsuits alleging sexual abuse. The class-action lawsuits cost the state millions. The plaintiffs were women, charging that the state ignored their complaints.
The department was the corrections department, the prisons.
The governor was John Engler.
As a result of a WJR News investigation by reporter Marie Osborne, charges of sexual abuse and other misconduct by male prison guards against female prisoners at women’s prisons were filed and eventually went thru the court system. It dated from the 1990’s.
Bill Martin became director of Michigan Corrections after the departure of Kenneth mcGinniss, who was the director at the time of our investigation.
Martin tells the Frank Beckmann show that prison reforms began at the direction of Gov. Engler.
What followed was another investigation, alleging sexual abuse and other misconduct by male guards— against female prison guards. This was in 1996 and’97. Many reforms have taken place in the state prison system since then.