In the wake of a number of lawsuits alleging harassment and hostile working conditions in Missouri prisons, state Rep. Jim Hansen will lead a House of Representatives subcommittee on Corrections Workforce Environment and Conduct.
House Speaker Todd Richardson and Corrections Committee Chairman Paul Fitzwater on Wednesday announced Hansen's appointment to head the investigatory subcommittee they've created, to examine those harassment cases involving the state's Corrections department.
"The harassment that has been uncovered within the department is completely unacceptable and cannot be tolerated," Richardson, R-Poplar Bluff, said in a news release. "Rep. Hansen and the members of his committee will work to obtain the answers we need, and to ensure the department does not allow a pervasive culture of harassment to exist in the future."
State Auditor Nicole Galloway said Dec. 9 her office will audit the state's Legal Expense Fund, which is the pool of money used to make payments in lawsuits against the state.
The attorney general's office reported last month the state had paid more than $3.5 million in damages in 2015 and 2016, settling a total of 25 employment discrimination cases - including 13 cases involving Corrections, for a total of $1,320,548.31 in damages.
Those numbers didn't include cases being appealed or where settlements still were being negotiated.