The warden of a South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) facility that has recently faced allegations of inmate abuse is retiring, multiple sources close to the prison tell this news outlet.
Marian Boulware, warden of Camille Griffin Graham Correctional Institution in Columbia, is expected to retire in the next few weeks, according to our sources.
Camille Griffin Graham Correctional Institution houses women with special needs, as well as death row inmates, according to SCDC. It is one of two women’s prisons in South Carolina.
Boulware’s retirement comes months after a psychiatrist told state legislators that suicidal and mentally ill prisoners were punished when they sought help at the Camille Griffin Graham Correctional Institution, the Post and Courier reported in October.
Then, Dr. Pamela Crawford told lawmakers on the House Oversight Panel reviewing SCDC that inmates were forced to sleep on the floor, given “food blended together and baked into a loaf,” and denied feminine hygiene products, The (Charleston, S.C.) Post and Courier reported.
Officials at SCDC asked South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) officers to investigate the incident, WIS TV-10 (NBC – Columbia, S.C.) reported. SLED officials told WIS that they didn’t find any criminal violations in their investigation.
Crawford reported the alleged abuse cases to SCDC officials and officials made “productive changes” at the facility including staffing changes, according to the State newspaper.
SCDC officials reviewed more than 600 crisis reports from prisons all over the state and found that the reported abuse cases were only occurring at Camille Griffin Graham Correctional Institute, the State reported in October.
Correctional sources told FITSNews Wednesday that the SCDC investigation into the prison is still ongoing. A credible prison reform source has also alleged that there is a pending federal investigation into the Camille Griffin Graham Correctional Institution. However, state and federal officials tell us they can neither confirm or deny those reports.
Camille Griffin Graham Correctional Institution has faced other prisoner abuse allegations. Earlier last year, a former prisoner sued the SCDC for wrongful death after he baby died in a toilet while she was giving birth at the Columbia prison, the Greenville News reported.
The Index Journal reported that Boulware was making $84,486 a year at SCDC in 2018.
We will continue to keep watching this closely. Stay tuned…
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1 comment
Hate to tell you this but, from experience, this “abuse” case is more or less the standard operating procedure at every jail and prison I’ve seen in South Carolina. And I’m sure SC is not alone.