North Carolina inmates allege they were abused with hot sauce

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RALEIGH, N.C. • Prison officials in North Carolina are calling for a criminal investigation after six inmates alleged correctional officers forced them to rub habanero hot sauce on their genitals, resulting in painful blisters.

N.C. Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Pamela Walker said Monday that officials had asked the State Bureau of Investigation to review conduct at Sampson Correctional Institution. She said a staff member at the prison has been reassigned and another is on leave after an internal investigation. The findings are being kept confidential.

The probe was initiated after male inmates complained guards had forced them to perform numerous humiliating acts, including gulping hot sauce and slathering it on themselves. The inmates also reported being forced to capture and kiss wild snakes while working on a road crew.