A service of Salisbury University and University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Prison Uprising Lawsuit Takes Aim at Former Governors

YouTube

Attorneys for plaintiffs in the prison uprising near Smyrna have submitted a 71-page argument countering a claim by state officials that there is no constitutional right to workplace safety.

The lawsuit has been brought on behalf of the family of Correctional Officer Steven Floyd and other correctional staff at the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center.

Floyd was killed during the standoff.

The Wilmington News Journal reports that the plaintiffs have argued that the working conditions such as understaffing occurred without any action on the part of two governors.

The plaintiff’s point to former Governor Jack Markell saying there is conclusive proof of his culpability.

They add “the blood is on his hands for the torture and death of Lt. Floyd.”

The other governor cited is Markell’s predecessor Ruth Anne Minner.

The attorney’s brief added that the current governor John Carney has done more in the last few months to begin to correct the problems in the prison system than in the previous 16 years.

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.