The case is among the 40 allegations of staff-on-inmate abuse since 2011 identified by the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism in Waupun’s segregation unit, commonly known as solitary confinement. Most involve indications that inmates received post-incident physical or mental health attention.
The allegations were made in lawsuits, internal inmate complaints, interviews, and letters to state officials and an inmate-rights activist.
View all allegations
40 allegations of guards abusing inmates at Waupun Correctional Institution
Details about each alleged incident, who was involved and the DOC’s response.
Of the 40 allegations, officer Beahm is named in 28. A dozen inmate lawsuits since 2011 accuse Beahm of physical or psychological abuse; six have been dismissed and six are pending.
The state Department of Corrections has denied these allegations and accused the inmates making them of lying. But the nature and volume of the complaints has drawn the notice of state Sen. Lena Taylor, D-Milwaukee, and former state prison chief Walter Dickey, who has called for an investigation in response to the Center’s findings.
Beahm, a nine-year department employee, did not respond to written requests for an interview or offers to go over the allegations in detail.
Via Waupun guard named repeatedly in abuse complaints | WisconsinWatch.org.