Federal suit says jailers allowed male detainee to sexually assault 2 inmates at Shelby Co. women’s jail
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MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) – Two Memphis women are alleging that authorities at the Shelby County women’s jail failed to protect them from being attacked by a male inmate who was being housed there due to overcrowding issues last fall.
The lawsuit was filed Monday in the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee.
The defendants include the Shelby County Government, Sheriff Floyd Bonner, Chief Jailer Kirk Fields, four correctional officers, a lieutenant, and 10 John Does who are believed to also be county employees. The lawsuit says those John Does’ names and addresses were unknown at the time of filing “despite the exercise of reasonable diligence.”
The county’s standard policy is to house male inmates downtown at 201 Poplar Avenue, also known as the Main Jail, and house female inmates at 6201 Haley Road, also known as Jail East, located near Shelby Farms Park.
The two plaintiffs say that on November 12, 2024, an unsecured cell at Jail East was housing male inmates due to overcrowding issues at 201 Poplar, something that continues to be an issue to this day.
The faulty cell door reportedly allowed inmates to readily open it and escape to other cells within the facility. The lawsuit alleges that the issue with the door was well-known but never properly addressed by jail staff.
On that day, the suit alleges that corrections officers assisted and allowed a male inmate to walk through the unsecured cell door into an unauthorized area, where he gained access to other cells in the facility, including where the two plaintiffs were being housed.
The lawsuit alleges that after passing the guards, the male inmate put a cover over his head, entered the cells of female inmates, and then sexually assaulted two of them.
The lawsuit claims that none of the corrections officers who let the inmate pass stopped him from attacking the women, reported the incident, or otherwise took any action on the date of the assault.
The two victims claim that their Eighth Amendment right to protection from attacks at the hands of other prisoners was violated.
Both women say they suffered intense physical pain and emotional turmoil as a result of the assault.
The lawsuit further cites issues at the county’s correctional facilities spanning the last decade, including chronic maintenance breakdowns, severe staffing shortages, and interventions by civil rights organizations.
The victims are now requesting a trial by jury to be followed by compensatory damages.
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