FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                      CR
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 1994                                      (202) 616-2765
                                                           TDD (202) 514-1888

         DELAWARE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTION TO PAY OVER $3 MILLION
                  FOR REFUSING TO HIRE AND PROMOTE WOMEN

     WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A federal court in Delaware has approved
a settlement requiring the state to pay over $3 million for
refusing to hire or promote women at its correctional facilities.
     The settlement approved yesterday resolves a 1990 suit filed
by the Justice Department in U.S. District Court in Wilmington
alleging that the state engaged in a pattern of discrimination. 
The suit challenged a 1980 state law that prohibited women from
working in male housing units in its Department of Correction.   In
1992, the court ruled that the state statute violated Title VII of
the Civil Rights Act of 1964, by severely limiting the hiring and
promotional opportunities for women.
     "The Justice Department is committed to enforcing vigorously
our anti-discrimination laws," said Assistant Attorney General for
Civil Rights Deval L. Patrick.  "Today's settlement will provide
relief to those who were unlawfully locked out of the jobs they
chose to pursue."
     The settlement is the second largest obtained by the Justice
Department in an employment case involving discrimination based on
gender.  The largest involved the Florida Department of Corrections
which agreed to pay $3.7 million for engaging in discriminatory
employment practices.
     The agreement, which was reached by the parties in May,
creates a $3 million fund to compensate victims of the
discriminatory practices from 1980 through 1992, when the federal
district court struck down the statute.  It also provides
retroactive pension benefits to those women who receive priority
employment or promotion based on past discrimination.  
     After reaching the agreement in May, the Justice Department
sent notices to all women who filed claims of discrimination in the
case informing them whether they were eligible for monetary or
other relief.  On June 27, those claimants who disagreed with the
Justice Department's determinations raised objections with the
federal court.  Today's order denied those objections.
     "We believe this agreement will further employment
opportunities for women in the Department of Correction," said Nina
Pala, Assistant United States Attorney for the District of
Delaware.  "We look forward to working with attorneys from the
Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. and the State of Delaware
to ensure that the agreement is fully implemented."
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