Kentucky Prison Officer Charged with Violating Inmate's Rights
Officer failed to intervene as three other corrections officers assaulted inmate
An officer at a prison in Eastern Kentucky was charged last week in connection with the assault of an inmate. A federal grand jury charged that Eric L. Nantell failed to intervene when he saw three other correctional officers at the Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex assault an inmate in a shower stall.
A federal grand jury charged that Eric L. Nantell failed to intervene when he saw three other correctional officers at the Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex assault an inmate in a shower stall. The inmate was not resisting at the time of the assault, according to plea agreements in related cases.
By failing to intervene or protect the inmate, Nantell violated his Eighth Amendment Rights under the U.S. Constitution to be free from cruel and unusual punishment, the grand jury charged. The indictment returned last week also alleges that Nantell, a sergeant when the incident occurred in July 2018, told another prison supervisor, a Kentucky State Police detective and an FBI agent that he didn’t see the inmate assaulted.
Four other prison employees have pleaded guilty in connection with the assault. Derek Mays admitted writing a report saying the inmate was kicking at guards, which wasn’t true. Randy Nickell and James Benish admitted writing false reports about the incident, and Jeffery Havens acknowledged in his plea that he hit the inmate. All four have pled guilty in connection to this case and are awaiting sentencing.
Recently, other Kentucky correctional officers have been the focus of similar investigations. In October of 2022, the Department of Justice announced a federal grand jury in London, Kentucky, filed a superseding indictment against three federal correctional officers for their respective roles in assaults against three federal inmates and alleged subsequent cover-ups at the U.S. Penitentiary-Big Sandy.
Contrary to popular belief, inmate abuse is not a thing of the past. Misconduct and excessive force against inmates still occur today just like the above cases in Kentucky and throughout the country. Correctional facilities nationwide have recently landed in the news for the egregious inmate abuse, some cases serious enough to result in death, occurring within their walls. The US Department of Justice must continue to act in these cases to hold responsible parties accountable and ensure all incarcerated persons are free from cruel and unusual punishment as afforded to them by the US Constitution.
Period.
