JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – A former Mississippi Department of Corrections officer was sentenced in Jackson for her role in assaulting an inmate at the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility in Rankin County.
Shelly Griffith, 29, will serve 70 months in prison. She entered a guilty plea on December 14, 2017, to violating the civil rights of an inmate by using excessive force against him.
“This type of behavior is unacceptable and will not be tolerated by the Department of Justice,” said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband of the Civil Rights Division. “The Civil Rights Division is committed to prosecuting those who violate the civil rights of others.”
“Violating a person’s civil rights, whether the person is incarcerated or not, is a serious offense and only damages the already delicate relationship between corrections officers and inmates,” said Special Agent in Charge Michelle A. Sutphin of the FBI’s Jackson Division. “The FBI will continue working with our partner agencies to investigate violations of civil rights within Mississippi prisons.”
According to investigators, Griffith assaulted the inmate on May 25, 2016, by kicking, punching, and stomping on him. The assault resulted in bodily injury to the inmate and involved the use of a dangerous weapon.
Two other former MDOC officers, Reginald Brown and Sharalyn McClain, have pled guilty to violating the civil rights of the inmate based on their own conduct during the assault. Brown was sentenced to a term of imprisonment of 60 months. McClain will be sentenced on March 20, 2020.
