HARRISBURG (INTELLIHUB) -
Three York County Prison
guards are being criminally charged by state police after they
allegedly organized a wrestling match between two inmates in a storage
closet and other challenges one inmate called the "Retard Olympics",
reported The Harrisburg Patriot-News.
The challenges included the guards bribing inmates to drink a gallon
of milk in one hour, take a punch to the arm without falling, and accept
being sprayed with pepper foam in the face, among others. The inmates
would be rewarded with food and coffee for completing the challenges,
according to state police.
Some of the other challenges included snorting a crushed up candy,
drinking a bottle of water with pepper foam in it and eating fruit with
the peels still on them.
The three guards accused are David M. Whitcomb, 28, of Hellam, Mark
A. Haynes, 26, of Jacobus, and Daniel H. Graff, 37, of York. The three
men have been charged with official oppression and are on unpaid
administrative leave, according to the York County Prison.
WDAM-TV reported that Whitcomb was shot in the hip earlier this year at a bar by a former inmate.
At the time, while recovering in the hospital, Whitcomb told York newspaper The Daily Record , "I'm not a trouble-starter," and of the inmates he said, "I treat them like people. ... As long as you're firm, fair and consistent in what you do, you have an easy work day."
The York County Prison issued a statement Friday, which in part read, "The
actions alleged by Pennsylvania State Police in this case run counter
to the professional behavior County and Prison management expect and
require of all staff. Misconduct within any County agency is not
tolerated."
It is important to understand how fallible and corrupt the legal
system is when reading stories about people in prison, because many
innocent people end up behind bars. Even among those technically "guilty" of breaking some law, a vast majority (nearly 70% according to
some statistics) are peaceful people, or so called nonviolent offenders
who don't belong in prison to begin with. These people are not guilty of
any transgression, and they are in fact themselves victims of state
violence. Even violent offenders don't deserve this kind of abuse, even
if they do in fact deserve to be separated from society.
Sources:
York County Prison guards charged after setting up wrestling match between inmates in closet, police say - Harrisburg Patriot News
Guards accused of inmate 'fight club' - WDAM
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