CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A former Southern Regional Jail correctional officer will spend two years in prison for using unjustified force against inmates.
Michael Pack, 40, was sentenced Friday after pleading guilty in March. Investigators alleged that Pack and others would beat up inmates after taking them to “blind spots” in the jail, areas without surveillance camera footage. By pleading guilty, Pack admitted that he and others would come up with lies to explain the inmates’ injuries.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, condemned Pack’s actions.
“Michael Pack conspired with other correctional officers to illegally assault and punish inmates in his custody,” Dhillon said. “While we recognize that the great majority of law enforcement officers discharge their duties with integrity, this defendant abused his authority and has received an appropriate measure of accountability.”