Four former corrections officers are facing criminal charges in connection to their alleged conduct with inmates at a prison in eastern Missouri, where all four were previously employed. Three of the individuals have been charged with physically abusing inmates at the prison, and the fourth individual is accused of having had repeated sexual contact with an inmate.

According to the charges, video footage taken at the prison in 2012 showed one of the officers punching a restrained inmate, head-butting him and slamming his head into a door. Another officer is accused of choking an inmate and pushing him into a cell in such a way that the inmate’s head slammed against a wall, and a third officer is charged with striking an inmate in the face in 2013. 

The fourth is alleged to have had sexual contact with an inmate on several occasions in an employee break room. That inmate is reportedly serving time for second-degree murder.

All of these events are alleged to have occurred at Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center, a maximum-security prison in Bonne Terre, Missouri. A representative of the Missouri Department of Corrections said that none of the four accused individuals are currently employed with the department.

Although the allegations in this story have yet to be proven in a court of law, the unfortunate truth is that corruption and inmate abuse do occur within the prison system, potentially making an already difficult situation much worse for anyone facing imprisonment for conviction of a crime.

If you have been charged with a criminal offense in North Carolina, talk to a criminal defense lawyer about the legal options that are available. In some cases, a lawyer may be able to help you secure a shorter prison sentence or stay out of prison altogether.

Source: The Tribune, “”4 former corrections officers at same southeast Missouri prison facing criminal charges,” Associated Press, July 10, 2014