A $100 Million Victory

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"The only person I had to protect me and believe in me was Deborah LaBelle," says one former prisoner. She says that one male guard assaulted her and others (all "very young--serving long sentences") for years.

Wright, an expert on prisoner cases, believes the settlement to be the "highest ever involving a prison where the defendants are government employees and there is a strong likelihood the judgment will be paid." The state has also banned male guards from women's living quarters.

Of the settlement, $71.3 million will go to the hundreds of female prisoners who have joined the suit; the exact number is yet to be determined. LaBelle and nine other lawyers will divide up $28.7 million. She's already gearing up for her next cause: advocating for juveniles sentenced to prison.   

[Originally published in October, 2009.]