Florida Department of Corrections Secretary Mike Crews has suspended the warden of a Florida City prison where a developmentally disabled inmate died after he was locked in a scalding shower for more than an hour.
“I am outraged and appalled at the reports and the allegations of abuse that we continue to hear and read coming out of Dade,” Secretary Crews said Thursday.
The Miami Herald has been on the case of the death of Darren Rainey, 50, for months and Crews the corrections department hasn’t responded to a request for comment on the case until Thursday. Crews told the Herald he had no responded because he hoped the investigation into Rainey’s death would have been finished by now.
While the warden has been suspended by Crews, the two corrections officers who were in charge of Rainey have not been suspended or had any action taken against them. According to the Herald, one inmate said guards “taunted Rainey with comments such as ‘hot enough.’”
“I do know who they are,” Crews said. “They have not been disciplined and they are still working.”
Crews continued, “Right now, all we have are the allegations that is part of that investigation that we mentioned earlier. When it’s concluded, hopefully we will have concrete information as to exactly what might they have done or not done.”
And as the investigation into Rainey’s death continues, other cases of inmate deaths from around the state are drawing more scrutiny to the department of corrections.
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“We have a responsibility to make sure we are doing everything we can to provide a safe environment inside that fence,” Crews said. “That safe environment goes to not only our officers and our staff, but it goes for the inmates. So clearly, we have got to do a better job at that.”
