CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — Federal authorities have created an information hotline where people can provide information about civil rights abuse that happened at Federal Correctional Complex Hazelton in Preston County after a whistleblower alleged abuse and escapes were being covered up.
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of West Virginia, the hotline is so that the Attorney’s Office can gather information about physical assaults that have happened at the facility. The release said specifically, the hotline hopes to hear from people who witnessed or experienced physical assault while incarcerated at FCC Hazelton.
“Any witness or victim to any such crimes or attempts to conceal such crimes are asked to directly contact federal prosecutors in the Northern District of West Virginia.” said the release.
The hotline number is 1-855-WVA-FEDS (982-3337), and the Attorney’s Office can also be reached at wvafeds@usdoj.gov. A complaint form can also be filled out at this link.
Last month, a group of senators, including West Virginia’s Shelly Moore Capito and Joe Manchin, sent a letter to several federal officials asking them to investigate possible abuse and concealment of abuse at FCC Hazelton that were reported to them.
The whistleblower accused FCC Hazelton staff of:
- “Punching an incarcerated individual on camera.”
- “Repeatedly directing racial slurs against minorities.”
- “Urinating on prisoner property.”
- “Forcing incarcerated individuals to urinate and defecate on themselves as a condition of being released from restrictive custody.”
- “Assaulting an incarcerated person, breaking the individual’s ribs.”
- “Beating an incarcerated person in SHU (Special Housing Units) so severely that the individual had a seizure and was taken to the hospital two days later.”
