Some former inmates are suing Tulsa, Okla., halfway house workers who they claim violated their civil rights by organizing fight clubs and beatings.
The lawsuit filed in federal court seeks more than $75,000 in punitive damages for “severe physical injuries,” forced fighting and other civil rights violations, the Tulsa World reported.
The lawsuit claims a former Avalon Tulsa administrator organized bets on fights, manipulated drug tests and altered misconduct reports to prevent inmates from transferring to other facilities. The lawsuit names the administrator and two other Avalon employees who worked there while the inmates served time at the facility.
Brian Costello, president of Texas-based Avalon Correctional Services, said in an emailed statement that the company’s policy is not to comment on pending litigation.
Halfway houses like Avalon Tulsa are paid by the state per inmate they house per day.
In January, Oklahoma correctional officials closed Avalon Tulsa and canceled its contract after organized inmate fights were recorded on cellphone videos from inside the facility. State officials transferred more than 200 inmates due to “serious infractions” affecting offender safety. Federal authorities announced the next month that they were investigating possible civil rights violations at the Tulsa facility.
But Avalon executives promised improved security measures to include better drug testing and other measures to sway state officials to renew the company’s contract.
In April, the state began returning inmates to the Tulsa facility.
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