Church group "Pastors for Prison Reform" met Saturday with former inmate and author Clarence Austin in Bridgeport who says he was beaten up by prison guards.

The group called for better civilian oversight of America's prison system.

During his prison sentence, he suffered from seizures caused by spinal meningitis that were made worse by the alleged abuse.

Rev. Dr. Herron Gaston wrote a book called "From Jail to Yale" examining what he calls "a systemic bias against minorities in U.S. prisons."

Austin says he still bears the physical and mental scars from abuse he allegedly suffered behind bars.

"Sometimes I look at television and I cry for the simple fact that it reminds me of what happened to me and what happened to a lot of minority people, especially Afro-Americans that are going through this legal system," shared Austin.

State prison officials have not yet responded to News 12's request for comment.