Federal prosecutors stated that an ex-correctional officer from Alabama was penalized with more than seven years of imprisonment on Tuesday. This comes after he used unwarranted force against a detainee and then falsified records in order to mask the incident.
Intentionally violating the rights of an inmate identified as V.R., Mohammad Shahid Jenkins, aged 52 and a former Lieutenant and Shift Commander at William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility located in Bessemer, Alabama subjected him to unwarranted force. The U.S Department of Justice released information asserting that while the prisoner was restrained inside a holding cell without posing any threat, Mr.Jenkins still undertook actions like kicking, hitting him with his shoe or spraying chemical agents on him using canisters- all meant to inflict damage upon said individual.
On September 12, Jenkins pleaded guilty to the aforementioned offenses and later received a sentence of 87 months in jail. Additionally, three years of supervised release would follow as stated by the department’s proclamation.
Kristen Clark, the Assistant Attorney General responsible for overseeing the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department, stated that Jenkins failed in his duty to set a good example for less experienced officers he supervised and instead took advantage of his position. She said “The accused repeatedly and brutally attacked a defenseless inmate while abusing their authority to do so by returning multiple times.”
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The fact that the prisoner implicated in the event died on February 25, 2022 – nine days following the reported attack- is especially important. Despite this, officials have refrained from considering it a homicide at present.