A federal judge says he will decide soon if Corrections Corporation of America should be held in contempt of court for violating a settlement agreement it had with inmates at an Idaho prison requiring the company to increase staffing.
U.S. District Judge David Carter told attorneys for both the American Civil Liberties Union and the Nashville, Tenn.-based private prison company that he planned to review the evidence immediately while it was still fresh in his mind from the hearing.
The hearing was requested by the ACLU of Idaho, which is representing inmates at the CCA-run Idaho Correctional Center. The inmates sued CCA in 2010 over violence at the facility. CCA denied the allegations but reached a settlement the following year that required widespread changes at the prison, including increased staffing.