Prison Employees With Scabies Say They Faced Retaliation For Work Comp Claims

Wednesday, July 26, 2017 | 0

A scabies outbreak that hit more than 300 inmates has now spread to an estimated 17 employees at a privately run Nashville jail, a lawsuit alleges.

The employees faced retaliation and reprimands in their personnel files if they spoke out or filed workers’ compensation claims, The Tennessean reported.

CoreCivic, formerly known as Corrections Corporation of America, runs the 1,300-bed Metro-Davidson County Detention Center in Antioch.

The prison company is the defendant in at least three pending lawsuits alleging it failed to properly treat the infestation of the skin-burrowing mite, the newspaper reported.

The outbreak, which leads to an itchy rash, has spread to prison employees and their families, and at least one corrections officer walked off the job.

A prison spokeswoman told the newspaper that staff first noticed the rash in early May, but a legal complaint says male and female inmates began reporting scabies a year ago.

Two pregnant inmates did not receive treatment until May after the health department intervened, The Tennessean reported.

CoreCivic refused to address the allegations when asked by a reporter on Monday, but a spokeswoman repeated a prior statement that the company is “following all protocols and guidelines to mitigate the issue.”