WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
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The Indiana state prison system has made headlines several times in recent years for issues related to treatment of inmates. In 2012, a federal judge ruled the Department of Corrections violated the Constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment when it put mentally ill prisoners in isolation. That same year a 26-year-old first-time drug offender died due to what her family’s attorneys now say was poor health care from the Department. And last month inmates at the Westville Correctional Facility went on a hunger strike after cutbacks to their meal programs, which inmates said posed health risks. Now Peggy Mayfield, a Republican state representative whose district stretches from the west side of Bloomington into Morgan County, has introduced a bill she says would bring more accountability to the Department of Corrections. The bill passed the House and is scheduled for a hearing in the Senate tomorrow. WFHB Assistant News Director Joe Crawford spoke with Mayfield about the bill for today’s WFHB feature exclusive.
