OCALA, Fla. (AP) - Federal investigators are looking into allegations of rape, assault, and the smuggling of drugs into a central Florida prison for women.
The Miami Herald reports that about 100 former inmates and relatives of inmates at the Lowell Correctional Institution near Ocala, Florida, attended a town hall meeting on Sunday to talk with the investigators from the U.S. Department of Justice.
The U.S. Department of Justice opened a federal civil rights investigation into sexual abuse of inmates in July.
The Herald previously reported that inmates are threatened with beatings, receive substandard medical care, and are coerced into sex with male guards in exchange for necessities like soap, toilet paper, and sanitary napkins.
The federal investigators are examining whether the Florida Department of Corrections ignored complaints of misconduct.
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Information from: The Miami Herald, http://www.herald.com
