A former inmate of Deer Ridge Correctional Institution in central Oregon has filed a federal lawsuit against the Oregon Department of Corrections, alleging sexual abuse by the facility’s chief medical officer, Dr. Leland Beamer, Ben Botkin of Oregon Capital Chronicle reported yesterday.
James Watkins, recently released from the facility, alleges that Dr. Beamer engaged in inappropriate and abusive behavior during a series of medical appointments between November 2022 and January 2023. Watkins sought treatment for a back injury sustained while working in the prison kitchen. According to the lawsuit, what began as routine care escalated into misconduct, including inappropriate touching and unnecessary medical procedures.
Watkins filed a grievance under the Prison Rape Elimination Act but claims the investigation into his allegations never reached a conclusion. His attorney asserts that the Oregon Department of Corrections (ODC) has a long history of mishandling such cases.
The lawsuit comes amid broader concerns about abuse and misconduct within Oregon’s correctional facilities. The plaintiff’s attorney claimed ODC has been on notice for years about its systemic problem of sexual abuse and exploitation of inmates by prison staff.
Recent incidents underscore these issues. In 2023, a former nurse at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility, Oregon’s women’s prison, was sentenced to 30 years for abusing multiple inmates. Separately, Sgt. Levi Gray faced charges of custodial misconduct, and former correctional officer Ruben Benavidez was accused of coercing inmates into acts and recording them.
Amber Campbell, spokesperson for ODC, reaffirmed the agency’s “zero-tolerance” policy toward abuse but declined to comment on pending litigation.
Watkins’ lawsuit accuses prison administrators of failing to provide safeguards, including the option to request a chaperone during sensitive medical procedures. It also alleges the prison failed to act on prior complaints about Dr. Beamer. Watkins seeks unspecified damages for emotional and physical harm, as well as for the prison’s failure to protect him.
Dr. Beamer has been a licensed physician since 1974, with no prior violations reported in Oregon Medical Board records. The board declined to comment on whether any complaints against Beamer are currently pending.
This lawsuit highlights the urgent need for reform in prison oversight and the implementation of stronger protections for inmates. Sexual predation by government employees should not part of anyone’s prison sentence, the plaintiff’s attorney argued.
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