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Posted by: Mikey682

(From Thebostonchannel.com)

Guards Suspended For Allegedly Humiliating Inmate
Corrections Officers Placed On Administrative Leave

POSTED: 1:39 p.m. EDT April 13, 2003
UPDATED: 1:42 p.m. EDT April 13, 2003

MIDDLETON, Mass. -- Six Essex County corrections officers alleged to have handcuffed a retarded inmate and forced him to kneel and eat cake have been suspended without pay.

Essex Sheriff Frank Cousins suspended the six without pay after conducting a duty status hearing earlier this week.

The guards had been placed on administrative leave with pay following the March 29 incident, in which they allegedly handcuffed and force-fed birthday cake to the inmate in the infirmary of Essex County Correctional Facility in Middleton.


The incidents were recorded, and the videotape was given to the jail's internal affairs investigators.

Cousins has said he does not believe the incident was racially motivated. The officers are white, and the inmate is black.

A spokesman for Cousins says a disciplinary hearing to determine whether the guards should be fired will be conducted "sooner rather than later."

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Posted by: PearlOnyx

I was figuring this was going to come up. Just so you all don't think I'm skirting the subject, I was on a day off that day and really don't know much about. My official position is "No Comment!"

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Posted by: j809

Maybe the officers didn't know he was retarted. Besides, it was his birthday and he got his cake and got to eat it too.

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Posted by: Gil

Quote:

Originally posted by PearlOnyx: My official position is "No Comment!"

<font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Been there, done that! It's the best thing to do most times.

I just have a hard time believing that with all of the related stories of police/corrections abuse that have been in the media we would all be more consensus of our actions no matter how innocent it may have been.

Quote:

Six Essex County corrections officers alleged to have handcuffed a retarded inmate and forced him to kneel and eat cake have been suspended without pay.

<font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Although the above doesn't sound so innocent. [img]graemlins/glare.gif[/img]

CCTV can be your friend but it can also end a career.

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Posted by: mpd61

Yeah,

I usually handcuff people before I give them dessert. WTF? Pearl, Let me know if this prisoner is receiving services from DMR, I might be able to get six new openings for your friends.
[img]tongue.gif[/img]

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Posted by: PearlOnyx

Remember that this is a very public forum, and what you say could end up in a paper somewhere. I publically don't have an opinion on this incident, and in this forum won't defend or accuse anyone, but just out of mutual respect, I'd appreciate it if you could leave my "name" out of any jokes you may make. Much appreciated...

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Posted by: mpd61

Quote:

Originally posted by PearlOnyx: Remember that this is a very public forum, and what you say could end up in a paper somewhere. I publically don't have an opinion on this incident, and in this forum won't defend or accuse anyone, but just out of mutual respect, I'd appreciate it if you could leave my "name" out of any jokes you may make. Much appreciated...

<font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Well............Alright,
Somebody shoot me though, put me out of everyone else's misery

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