Warden Eric Ivey, of the Cuyahoga County Jail has been at the center of many issues regarding the internal workings at the jail.  Those that he has put into positions of power have continuously disregarded common workplace guidelines and policies.  These same policies that are currently in effect are essentially signed off by none other than Eric Ivey, the Warden himself.  These various issues and blatant disregards of binding contracts with Unions and even the Federal Government stem from PREA misappropriations to the deliberate refusal to allow women to work overtime in male pods.

However, all of those issues can be easily debated and easily brushed off by the Warden when he proclaims that it’s due to “safety and security purposes” and that women can’t work overtime “until they are trained properly” or that the “installation of cameras are necessary in different areas of the jail” – even though those funds were to be used directly for PREA only and not for the monitoring of the Corrections Staff and even though women received the same exact training as their male counterparts.

Fun Fact:  Readers need to understand that the female staff have undergone the same exact training as the male staff, that the PREA money awarded was to be utilized for inmate purposes and that by not allowing women to work overtime is a violation of a collective bargaining agreement with the Corrections Officers (not to mention a bit sexist).

 The Assault

What cannot be debated and what shouldn’t be brushed under the rug is what allegedly took place at the Cuyahoga County Jail two years ago…

On May 26, 2016, John Schmidt (8/2/1972) was booked into the County Jail. He had a history of violence and drug use. He became disruptive and was placed in a humane restraint chair which rendered him defenseless.

Warden Eric Ivey chastised Mr. Schmidt and then eventually slapped him in the face with a great amount of force. It was caught on a camera. Sgt. O’Donnell objected to Ivey’s behavior and was initially penalized by being placed in a less desirable area of the jail (not the case anymore).

In a question and answer session on MSNBC.com with Warden Ivey he stated the following:

“I realize that it only takes one bad decision to end up in a bad situation.”

“My clothes or my style is never a problem when it comes to dealing with the inmates. My clothes and my style is only a small portion of who I am. I pride myself in treating people with the utmost respect, regardless of their current situation. Some of the inmates have known me for a good portion of my career and even from growing up. I realize that it only takes one bad decision to end up in a bad situation.”

HAWK Says:  Yep pretty much that’s all it takes is one bad decision.  Yet as we see time and time again, those in power get away with stuff like this and things disappear, videos are erased and people are hushed into silence.  

Other Assaults

In addition to the alleged above incident, other situations have come to light.  Prior to being the Warden at the Cuyahoga County Jail, Mr. Ivey worked in the “SRT” department is also commonly known as the “Men In Black”.  While he was running this department as a lieutenant, he would allegedly line inmates up and have staff select which ones that they would be fighting with.  The inmates would then be taken into individual cells where they would be roughed up.

As a result of multiple complaints and the consistent cries of abuse from inmates – the “men in black” and upper level members of staff at the jail are now required to wear body cameras.  These cameras can be found dangling from around their necks while at work on a 24/7 basis.

The Bottom Line:  Warden Eric Ivey is a man who is in a position of power and unfortunately that power can more often than not get to ones head.  There are allegations that he allowed the power to get the best of him time and time again while he was one of the “men in black” and now it’s on full display with him as the Warden.

SCUMBAGGED Tip:  Don’t go to Cuyahoga County Jail.  If you do, you’re putting yourself into a nasty situation.  Granted the physical abuse probably won’t occur now that there are cameras everywhere, but there are various levels of abuse that can take place at this facility – and you will surely be subjected to it.  If the Corrections Officers themselves are being subjected and relegated to unfair practices, how do you think the inmates are being treated?

References: 

Cuyahoga County Jail Imploding: Internal Documents Leaked (Cleveland, Ohio)

Cuyahoga County Jail C.O. Harassment & Violation of HIPAA Law (Cleveland, Ohio)

Cuyahoga County Jail Discrimination: Employee Rights Violated (Cleveland, Ohio)

The Third World Country – Cuyahoga County Jail (Cleveland, Ohio)

Sheriff Clifford Pinkney Exposed: Racism, Favoritism & Overtime (Cleveland, Ohio)