DOC Employees Let Man Who Was Having A Neurological Crises Die Over Two Long Days Without Providing Him Treatment
Two prison guards in Virginia have been convicted of violating an inmate’s civil rights through extreme indifference. They face years in prison.
In practice, however, disturbing stories of abuse come from prisons. One of those happened at Federal Correctional Institution Petersburg in Virginia on Jan. 9, 2021.
On Dec. 23, a federal jury convicted Lieutenant Shronda Covington, a 49-year-old woman from Chesterfield, Virginia, and 53-year-old Tonya Farley, also from Chesterfield, of violating an inmate’s civil rights by showing extreme indifference to a dangerous medical condition, despite being alerted by inmates, according to a Justice Department press release. Covington and Farley are corrections officers at FCI Petersburg, where the inmate died after being denied medical treatment.
Covington faces a maximum of 15 years in prison, while Farley could spend five years in prison. The sentencing will be held at a later date. Lieutenant Michael Anderson was previously sentenced to three years in custody.
Ignored Pleas of Fellow Inmates
Covington and Farley were on duty when a prisoner, identified in court documents as “W.W.,” started behaving bizarrely. He was also incoherent, unable to talk and walk normally. W. W. ran into walls and other objects, which caused bleeding and bruises on his head and body. His cellmate informed prison guards, but they ignored the symptoms for two days, according to an indictment obtained by The Daily Muck.
Covington and her colleague, Lieutenant Michael Anderson, ignored the policy that required them to respond to repeated calls for help. The situation became critical when W. W. fell head-first and hit the wall, lost consciousness, laying there for about 40 minutes before officers came in to help him.
W. W. was pronounced dead shortly after the incident, and the autopsy showed that the cause of death was blunt force trauma to his head, along with the lack of medical assistance.
After the investigation, Covington was found guilty of violating the civil rights of an inmate by showing deliberate indifference to the inmate’s serious medical needs and for making false statements to federal agents. Farley was also found guilty of making false statements.
Official Statements
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division described this case as “appalling.”
“These defendants showed an appalling indifference and disregard for the victim’s life, and their failure to act caused his death,” Clarke said.
Special Agent in Charge Tim Edmiston of the Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General Mid-Atlantic Region described W. W.’s death as “unnecessary.”
“Covington’s inexcusable apathy to the medical needs of W.W. over the course of two days caused his unnecessary death,” Edmiston said. “Covington and Farley also decided to lie about their involvement in order to escape accountability.”
Other Prison Abuse Cases
This is only the latest case that involves prison guards.
One of the most disgusting cases in recent history, an infamous Carswell case, described as a “hospital of horrors,” shook the nation due to grueling details. At the same time, the so-called Rape Club still serves as one of those cases that are sickening to read about.
The Daily Muck has covered both of these stories.
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