CONTACTS: Jeff Garis, 267-251-2818; Nicholas Yarris 267-738-8377
Exonerated Pa. Death Row Prisoner Nicholas Yarris Had Contact with Prison Guard Who Abused Iraqis; Calls Graner "Abusive and Violent", Says He Was Reprimanded
PHILADELPHIA - Nicholas Yarris, an exonerated Pennsylvania Death Row prisoner at SCI-Greene who was released January 16, 2004, says that he had numerous encounters with Charles A. Graner, Jr., a current employee of the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections who is pictured in photos of prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib Prison in Iraq. From 1998 through 2004 Yarris was imprisoned on the death row unit at SCI-Greene where Graner has been employed as an entry-level guard since 1996.
A super maximum-security prison in rural southwestern Pa., SCI-Greene has been criticized for inhumane treatment of prisoners since it opened in 1995. In November of 1997 Pierre Sane, Secretary General of Amnesty International, visited SCI-Greene and stated that he was "appalled at the inhumane treatment" of prisoners, calling conditions "debilitating and draconian." The prison was the subject of an internal investigation by the Pa. Department of Corrections (DOC) in 1998 following numerous documented allegations of prisoner abuse. The investigation resulted in the transfer of the prison superintendent, the termination of two lieutenants, and disciplinary action against about two dozen guards. The department's then-secretary Martin Horn refused to provide details of the investigation's findings, stating only that guards tranferring prisoners used "more force than was necessary." Internal videotapes of the abuse were never released to the public, and the Greene County District Attorney refused to prosecute any of the staff involved in these assaults.
According to Yarris, Graner was responsible for moving prisoners within the facility and was "violent, abusive, arrogant and mean-spirited" toward Yarris and other inmates. Yarris said he knew of several instances in which Graner was involved in physically assaulting prisoners. Yarris also states that Graner was reprimanded by his superiors on several occasions and was disliked by both prisoners and other prison employees. Upon learning that Graner - a reservist called to active duty in Iraq in May 2003 who receives a $500 per month stipend from the DOC - was given a supervisory role at Abu Ghraib based on his civilian training and experience in Pennsylvania, Yarris expressed disgust.
"He was at the bottom level of prison guards," Yarris states, "so he must've done a good job bragging to the military about what a 'big shot' he was at [SCI-]Greene." Yarris also confirmed that, prior to being taken out of their cells, prisoners held in Administrative Custody at SCI-Greene were forced to strip naked in front of the transport team, lift their genitals, and bend over for a visual "inspection." The sexual humiliation of the prisoners at SCI-Greene is eerily similar to the tactics used by military personnel under Graner's supervision against Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib.
The report by General Taguba stated that Lt. Col. Jerry L Phillabaum, commander of the battalion stationed at Abu Ghraib, placed the bulk of the blame for the abuse of the prisoners on Graner and Sgt. Ivan L. Frederick, another prison guard in civilian life. Col. Phillabaum reportedly stated that "taking these prisoners out of their cells and staging bizarre acts were the thoughts of a couple demented M.P.'s who in civilian life are prison corrections officers."
"If more aggressive investigation and a 'zero-tolerance for abuse' policy by DOC administrators perhaps some of the inexcusable human rights abuses at Abu Ghraib might have prevented," said Jeff Garis, executive director of Pa. Abolitionists. "I am disgusted that Pa. taxpayers have paid Graner $6,000 over the past 12 months while he was supervising and committing what Amnesty International has called 'war crimes.' It's appalling that he is still an employee in good standing by our DOC."
Pa. Abolitionists believes that the Pennsylvania DOC should immediately begin a serious and open investigation into allegations of abuse in Pennsylvania prisons, along with the release of all videotapes of abuse discovered in 1998 at SCI-Greene. The 9,000-member organization is also recommending that the DOC adopt a "zero-tolerance" policy on abuse, immediately terminating criminal employees.
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************************************************************************ * PENNSYLVANIA ABOLITIONISTS United Against the Death Penalty P.O. Box 58128, Philadelphia, PA 19102 Phone: 215-724-6120 Fax: 215-729-6189 Email: PAUADP at aol.com Website: www.pa-abolitionists.org
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