Hawaii Guard Abused Inmate, Covered It Up: 12 Years

HONOLULU – Jonathan Taum, 50, a former supervisory correctional officer at the Hawaii Community Correctional Center, will spend the next 12 years in federal prison for participating in a savage assault on an inmate and then orchestrating a clumsy cover-up. The sentence, handed down by U.S. District Judge Leslie E. Kobayashi on November 16, 2022, is a rare instance of accountability within a system often shielded from scrutiny.

The brutal incident unfolded on June 15, 2015, during a routine inmate transfer. Witnesses testified that Taum oversaw two fellow officers, and another guard, as they physically attacked an inmate who had simply become frightened during the move. The attack wasn’t a momentary lapse in control; the inmate suffered a broken jaw, fractured orbital socket, and broken nose – injuries that speak to a sustained and vicious beating. Taum didn’t intervene. He encouraged it, according to court records.

But the physical violence wasn’t the end of it. Taum then spearheaded a desperate attempt to bury the truth. He directed the creation of false reports, coached officers on what to tell internal affairs investigators, and compelled them to lie during disciplinary hearings. This wasn’t just about protecting himself; it was a systematic effort to obstruct justice and ensure the abuse remained hidden within the walls of the correctional facility. The feds say Taum actively participated in falsifying official records.

Federal prosecutors, led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Nolan, and with support from Special Litigation Counsel Chris Perras and Trial Attorney Thomas Johnson from the Civil Rights Division, meticulously built their case. The FBI investigation, spearheaded by Special Agent in Charge Steven Merrill, peeled back layers of deception, uncovering a pattern of abuse and a culture of silence within the Hawaii Community Correctional Center. The investigation wasn’t just about this one incident, but about the systemic failures that allowed it to happen.

U.S. Attorney Clare E. Connors, while issuing a standard statement about upholding civil rights, couldn’t mask the severity of the breach. “This case underscores the responsibility of correctional officers to protect those in their custody,” she said. But the Grimy Times isn’t interested in platitudes. This case is a stark reminder that abuse can happen anywhere, even within the supposed safeguards of the correctional system, and that supervisors have a duty to prevent it – not participate in it.

Taum’s 144-month sentence – three concurrent terms – sends a message, albeit a belated one. It’s a small victory for the inmate who suffered horrific injuries and a testament to the dogged work of the FBI and federal prosecutors. But it’s also a chilling indictment of a system where abuse can fester for years, shielded by secrecy and a code of silence. The Grimy Times will continue to monitor this case and expose corruption within the correctional system wherever it exists.”

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