Harold Hutcheson, Joshua Ryan Jones, Roger Forrester, Civil Rights Violation, Tennessee 2008
Three former corrections officers from Tennessee have been sentenced for violating the civil rights of an inmate and lying about it during investigations.
Harold Hutcheson, a former captain at the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, Tennessee, and Joshua Ryan Jones and Roger Forrester, former officers at the same facility, were sentenced in federal court in Jackson, Tennessee.
According to the court, Hutcheson and Jones used unreasonable force when they repeatedly kicked a handcuffed inmate without provocation on April 15, 2008. Forrester also admitted to using unreasonable force when he repeatedly punched a handcuffed inmate without provocation.
The assault on the inmate violated their constitutional right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment by law enforcement officers, according to the court.
Hutcheson and Jones admitted to obstructing justice by providing false information about the incident to federal investigators. Forrester also admitted to obstructing justice by providing false information about the incident during the investigation by the Tennessee Department of Corrections.
The power granted to correctional officers does not give them free rein to abuse the civil and constitutional rights of inmates, said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division.
Hutcheson was sentenced to serve eight months in prison and two years of supervised release. Jones was sentenced to serve 10 months in prison and two years of supervised release. Forrester was also sentenced to serve 10 months in prison and two years of supervised release.
The case is being prosecuted by Civil Rights Division Trial Attorneys Jared Fishman and Chris Lomax.
Key Facts
- State: Federal
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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