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Advocates tell Torrance County of alleged health problems at detention center; county chair says CoreCivic disputes collapse claims
Summary
An Innovation Law Lab representative read complaints from people detained at the Torrance County Detention Facility alleging septic collapse, inoperable cell doors and gastrointestinal illness; County Chairman Ryan Schwebach said CoreCivic told the county those collapse claims are not accurate.
Ian Philabaum of Innovation Law Lab told the Commission that he was reading a message supplied by someone detained at the Torrance County Detention Facility alleging a "serious environmental contamination issue" after a septic tank collapse, with multiple people experiencing diarrhea, vomiting and other symptoms. Philabaum said advocates had raised repeated complaints about inoperable cell doors and lack of medical attention.
"Public health authorities must be notified, as this is a Community health emergency," Philabaum said while asking the Commission not to renew its ICE contract. Later in the meeting Chairman Ryan Schwebach said that, according to CoreCivic, the vendor operating the facility, there was no septic-tank collapse and that CoreCivic reported no official incident record of the symptoms described; he urged careful source verification before broadcasting such claims. The Commission heard the allegations during the public-comment period but did not take immediate remedial action; the meeting record shows both the detainee complaint (as read by advocates) and the company's denial were placed on the public record.
