Inmate was tied up, tortured by other inmates at Youngstown prison, reports say
An inmate at a private prison in Ohio is suing after he says he was tied up and assaulted by other inmates while it was livestreamed.
A lawsuit was filed against the Northeast Ohio Correctional Center, owned by CoreCivic, on May 28, according to court records.
“Although we’re unable to discuss the details of the case while it goes through the legal process, we want to emphasize our strong commitment to the safety and well-being of our staff and every person in our care at the Northeast Ohio Correctional Center (NEOCC),” spokesperson Brian Todd from CoreCivic told McClatchy News in an email June 4.
At around noon on March 8, the Youngstown Police Department responded to a call from the prison about an inmate who had been assaulted the day before, according to a police report.
An employee at the prison told officers that the inmate had been tied up, robbed and assaulted, the report said.
The inmate told prison staff that around 4:30 p.m. on March 7, two other inmates came into his cell, tied him up, kicked and punched him and poked him with a knife, police said. The inmates told him they would kill him if he didn’t send them money, he told police.
The inmates then recorded him and “forced him to say defamatory things about his dead friend,” the report said. According to the lawsuit, the incident was being livestreamed.
Then, the inmates made him call his girlfriend and two brothers, who sent $3,490 to a Cash App account, police said.
The inmates left his cell, where the victim remained tied up until the next morning when staff checked on him after family members requested a welfare check, the report said.
The inmate had two bruised eyes, a possible fractured right hand and a “scratch/abrasion” on his thigh, police said. He told prison staff he had been physically and sexually assaulted, according to the report.
The lawsuit said that during the two-day period, no employees came to the inmate’s aid and that the prison was negligent and failed to prevent the inmate from “preventable harm.”
The “actions and omissions” by the prison staff showed “reckless disregard” for the inmate’s well being, the lawsuit said.
It is asking for over $25,000 in damages.
Youngstown is about a 75-mile drive southeast from Cleveland.
This story was originally published June 4, 2025 at 12:47 PM