FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                          CR
MONDAY, MARCH 10, 1997                             (202) 616-2765
                                               TDD (202) 514-1888
                                 
        JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SUES ARIZONA OVER CONDITIONS
                       AT WOMEN'S PRISONS
                                
     WASHINGTON, D.C. --  The Justice Department today filed suit
against the state of Arizona to ensure that female inmates at the
state's women's prisons are protected from rapes and sexual
assaults by prison guards and staff.

     The Department today also brought a similar action against
the state of Michigan over conditions at two of its women's
prisons.

     The Arizona lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in
Phoenix, alleges that inmates at the Arizona Center for Women and
state prison facilities in Alhambra, Perryville, and Tucson have
been subjected to sexual misconduct and unlawful invasion of
privacy, including prurient viewing during showering, toileting,
and dressing.

     "No one should be exposed to the risk of sexual assault
under any circumstances," said Isabelle Katz Pinzler, Acting
Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. 

     The suit was brought under the Civil Rights of
Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA), enacted in 1980 to protect
the rights of people housed in state and local government
institutions, including prisons.  Under the law, the Justice
Department has the authority to investigate institutions to
ensure that conditions at the facilities meet constitutional
standards.

     The Department began looking at the Arizona prisons, which
together house approximately 1,000 inmates, in February 1995
after receiving complaints about alleged misconduct by staff. 
During the investigation, the state refused to allow the
Department to interview staff and prisoners concerning the
complaints, and extensive discussions between the two parties
have failed to resolve the allegations.

     "As in all cases, we had hoped to resolve this matter short
of litigation," added Pinzler.

     The suit seeks a court order requiring the state to:

          protect women inmates from rapes, sexual assaults, and
          other improper sexual contact by staff;
          ensure that inmates and staff do not engage in sexual
          relations; 
          ensure that women inmates are not viewed in a prurient
          manner when showering, changing, and using the toilet
          facilities.

     In August of last year, the Department issued a letter
detailing its findings of sexual misconduct.

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97-104