State Senate Launches Probe Into Prison System

By Tim Smith STAFF WRITER Greenvilleonline.com

COLUMBIA -- The Senate has launched an investigation into "numerous allegations of mismanagement, misconduct and other wrongdoings" in the state's prison system, a Senate leader announced Thursday.

Sen. Mike Fair of Greenville, chairman of the Senate Corrections and Penology Committee, said a seven-person committee will meet this summer to review the allegations and take testimony.

Interviews with current and former prison system employees will begin right away, he said.

"Because the allegations cover a wide range of issues, I believe it is appropriate that we convene a special committee to review the charges and determine whether legislation, an audit, an ethics inquiry or other actions may be appropriate," Fair said.

Fair declined to provide details about the allegations.

The committee will take sworn testimony and be empowered to issue subpoenas, if necessary, Fair said.

Appointed to the committee are: Sen. David Thomas, a Greenville County Republican and former chairman of the corrections committee; Sen. Kay Patterson, a Columbia Democrat; Sen. Kent Williams, a Marion Democrat; Sen. Lewis Vaughn, a Greer Republican; Sen. Phil Leventis, a Sumter Democrat; and Sen. Jake Knotts, a West Columbia Republican.

Fair said his committee had received many allegations in recent weeks and he decided to convene a special panel after consulting with Senate leadership.

The prison system already is the focus of an inquiry by the state Attorney General's Office into allegations that some prison officials sent and received pornography on their state computers using email.

Two prison officials have been suspended over the porn probe, a prison system spokesman said weeks ago without identifying the managers.

The department's director of security recently resigned. A spokesman for the agency would not say whether the resigned official was linked to the porn probe.

The state also has lost two court cases involving the prison system this year with verdicts totaling more than $1 million. In one, a former warden alleged that other prison system officials had engaged in a civil conspiracy against him. A federal jury awarded him $510,000. The same week, a Marlboro County jury awarded a prisoner $600,000 after he alleged he was assaulted by officers.

A member of the Legislative Audit Council, the General Assembly's watchdog arm, Fair said the committee may request that the LAC conduct a performance audit of the agency.

He said the committee also may ask the State Ethics Commission to look at some issues as a result of some allegations received thus far.