Cop guilty in wife’s death serving time at women’s prison

Lynn Edward Benton is housed in a general population mental health unit at the Coffee Creek Correctional Institution, said Vicki Reynolds, a prison spokeswoman. The unit is for inmates with a mental illness who need treatment or inmates who need “easier access to a behavioral health counselor.”

Reynolds told the Oregonian/OregonLive that she wasn’t aware of what factors led to Benton, 54, being assigned to Coffee Creek and said she didn’t believe she could disclose any detailed information, citing potential privacy violations.

All male and female inmates initially go to Coffee Creek for their intake into the state prison system. Male inmates remain there until they are assigned to another prison facility for housing. Coffee Creek is the state’s only prison for women.

After Benton arrived at Coffee Creek for his intake process, Reynolds said, Benton’s placement would likely have been decided by the Oregon Department of Corrections’ nonconforming gender review committee.