Post by Downtown on Oct 21, 2010 19:57:46 GMT -5
Corrections board investigating troublesome work release center
Sinks leaking grease from an unclean kitchen area. Exposed electrical wires hanging from the ceiling, while bed bugs crawl on mattresses. Now Lloyd Bridges and the private jail he runs called Riverside is facing new allegations of rampant drug use and inmates who say they're being used like slave labor.
Indianapolis — Sinks leaking grease from an unclean kitchen area. Exposed electrical wires hanging from the ceiling, while bed bugs crawl on mattresses. Now Lloyd Bridges and the private jail he runs called Riverside is facing new allegations of rampant drug use and inmates who say they're being used like slave labor.
"I was taking home about thirteen dollars a week," said one former inmate. "Riverside was taking more than 90% of the money I was bringing in to help my family." The Marion county contract stipulates Lloyd Bridges the president and operator is only allowed to take up to 50% of a work-release inmate's pay check.
"Someone is in cahoots with them, a politician or a judge, because I don't think a place like that could exist so long without red flags being sent up," said the inmate who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
"There was a whole plethora of street drugs inside the place," said the inmate who served for a DUI.
"Marijuana was common. I saw cocaine methamphetamine, crack, ecstasy and heroine for the first time in my life there."
The owner Lloyd Bridges refuses to return Fox59's calls. He also owns a church Greater Mt. Calvary Missionary Baptist Church on Sangster Avenue on the east side. The voice recording says Bridges is the pastor.
Riverside is registered as a non-profit but former inmates say Bridges appears to be profiting plenty with recent years annual salaries close to 200k. What does he drive?
"I've seen him in a real fancy Cadillac, a Jaguar, maybe even a Mercedes," said the former inmate. While Bridges put down on tax returns he works 40 hours a week, the inmate says he only saw Bridges there a few hours a week.
The former inmate and his wife say they chose to have him complete his sentence at Riverside because of program offerings they say turned out not to exist. On top of that was the incentive to serve time and earn money while serving out a sentence.
"We made choice to get that placement because it would put him in position he could support our family and quite honestly when he was receiving thirteen dollars back out of his check a week it was costing our family more for him to be in there. It was more than 90% of his check."
The former inmate showed Fox59 paystubs for 175$. Riverside gave him on average thirteen dollars back.
Riverside also touts good medical care.
"There's no trained medical staff on site ever," said the inmate.
On October 7th, a week before Fox59 broke the bedbug story, the couple changed the company's name to East Race Community Corrections.
Could that have anything to do with Riverside and money coming in? That question Bridges so far has refused to answer.
Fox59 received a statement county officials are now launching their own investigation into Riverside's practices says "Until your inquiry, Marion County Community Corrections had not been apprised of Riverside community corrections' alleged breach of contract regarding the collection of fees. We are now working with our staff and legal representatives to review the terms of our agreement with riverside and will convene an investigation into these allegations."
Sinks leaking grease from an unclean kitchen area. Exposed electrical wires hanging from the ceiling, while bed bugs crawl on mattresses. Now Lloyd Bridges and the private jail he runs called Riverside is facing new allegations of rampant drug use and inmates who say they're being used like slave labor.
Indianapolis — Sinks leaking grease from an unclean kitchen area. Exposed electrical wires hanging from the ceiling, while bed bugs crawl on mattresses. Now Lloyd Bridges and the private jail he runs called Riverside is facing new allegations of rampant drug use and inmates who say they're being used like slave labor.
"I was taking home about thirteen dollars a week," said one former inmate. "Riverside was taking more than 90% of the money I was bringing in to help my family." The Marion county contract stipulates Lloyd Bridges the president and operator is only allowed to take up to 50% of a work-release inmate's pay check.
"Someone is in cahoots with them, a politician or a judge, because I don't think a place like that could exist so long without red flags being sent up," said the inmate who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
"There was a whole plethora of street drugs inside the place," said the inmate who served for a DUI.
"Marijuana was common. I saw cocaine methamphetamine, crack, ecstasy and heroine for the first time in my life there."
The owner Lloyd Bridges refuses to return Fox59's calls. He also owns a church Greater Mt. Calvary Missionary Baptist Church on Sangster Avenue on the east side. The voice recording says Bridges is the pastor.
Riverside is registered as a non-profit but former inmates say Bridges appears to be profiting plenty with recent years annual salaries close to 200k. What does he drive?
"I've seen him in a real fancy Cadillac, a Jaguar, maybe even a Mercedes," said the former inmate. While Bridges put down on tax returns he works 40 hours a week, the inmate says he only saw Bridges there a few hours a week.
The former inmate and his wife say they chose to have him complete his sentence at Riverside because of program offerings they say turned out not to exist. On top of that was the incentive to serve time and earn money while serving out a sentence.
"We made choice to get that placement because it would put him in position he could support our family and quite honestly when he was receiving thirteen dollars back out of his check a week it was costing our family more for him to be in there. It was more than 90% of his check."
The former inmate showed Fox59 paystubs for 175$. Riverside gave him on average thirteen dollars back.
Riverside also touts good medical care.
"There's no trained medical staff on site ever," said the inmate.
On October 7th, a week before Fox59 broke the bedbug story, the couple changed the company's name to East Race Community Corrections.
Could that have anything to do with Riverside and money coming in? That question Bridges so far has refused to answer.
Fox59 received a statement county officials are now launching their own investigation into Riverside's practices says "Until your inquiry, Marion County Community Corrections had not been apprised of Riverside community corrections' alleged breach of contract regarding the collection of fees. We are now working with our staff and legal representatives to review the terms of our agreement with riverside and will convene an investigation into these allegations."