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WILMINGTON, DE --- Sen. Charles L. Copeland (R-West Farms) today called for the formation of an independent Prison Commission to investigate the crisis in Delaware's correctional facilities.

"I find it particularly disturbing that this media exposé comes on the heels of so many other Corrections issues that have supposedly been addressed by this administration," Sen. Copeland said. "From the extreme understaffing in our correctional facilities to the brutal rape of a prison counselor, we have seen example after example of a system in crisis."

"I propose the creation of an Independent Investigative 'Prison Commission' made up of national and local Corrections Medical experts as well as members of our local medical community to investigate the conditions that have led to this series of horrific incidents and provide answers so that we can provide results."

This panel will address, among other items:

• inhumane treatment in our state's correction facilities
• lack of proper medical care in our state's correction facilities
• record suicide rates in our state's correction facilities
• record cases of AIDS/HIV in our state's correction facilities
• continued understaffing and forced overtime in our state's correction facilities
• "no-bid" contracts
• lack of accountability and oversight

"If you are sentenced to jail, you should serve your time. However, in this country we have a thing called the 'Bill of Rights' and every citizen is protected from cruel and unusual punishment. I don't believe that there is anyone who has looked at some of these horrific stories and not seen cruel and unusual punishment."

Sen. Copeland said he also plans to personally hold a series of meetings in the coming weeks with citizens, former inmates, members of the Department of Corrections, and other interested parties to get a clearer picture of the situation so that he can take whatever legislative action necessary to address these issues.

"We have a crisis in corrections," Sen. Copeland said. "It started with poor treatment of our corrections officers. It continued through the lack of follow through in the Cassie Arnold attack, and it continues today with callous disregard for basic medical treatment of inmates who deserve prison, but don't deserve death."

In one of the recent articles concerning this crisis, Dr. Owen Lugar, a psychologist who worked as the state's mental health director in the prison system, stated "No one calls the system into account."

"Today, we are calling the system into account," Sen. Copeland said.

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