Feds Begin Inquiry Into Delaware Prison Health Care

Authorities confirm that the U.S. Department of Justice has launched a formal inquiry into the medical care provided for inmates in Delaware's prisons. The probe follows a series of articles in Wilmington's News Journal that examined inmate suicides and AIDS-related deaths over the past four years; inmate allegations of poor medical treatment; and a no-bid $25.9 million contract awarded to Correctional Medical Services. In a statement issued Tuesday, Gov. Ruth Ann Minner complimented Department of Corrections Commissioner Stan Taylor and said the newspaper's articles contained inaccuracies. Depending on DOJ's review of the allegations, its Civil Rights Division could launch a formal investigation. Since the 1980 passage of the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act, DOJ has investigated conditions in more than 300 correctional institutions in 39 states.

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