Governor Sam Brownback speaks to reporters about the prison allegations. (Photo by Stephen Koranda)Kansas Governor Sam Brownback is taking issue with a federal report criticizing conditions and management at a Topeka women's prison. A letter from the U.S. Justice Department alleges there are serious problems at the Topeka Correctional Facility, including sexual misconduct and prisoner abuse. But Brownback says Justice Department officials have not been in contact with the state in over a year, and the criticisms don't take into account recent improvements at the prison.
Brownback did not deny the past problems at the prison complex, but he pointed out that the Federal Bureau of Prisons conducted inspections of the facility in 2011 and 2012, and found no violations. Brownback has requested a meeting with U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to discuss the allegations.