By Josh Mitchell
Editor
River Mississippi News
TENNESSEE — An ex-Tennessee corrections officer who unjustifiably broke an inmate’s jaw and lied in an official report to cover up the excessive force will spend four years in prison, the U.S. Department of Justice announced today.
The 38-year-old former Tennessee Department of Corrections tactical officer, Javian Griffin, will also be monitored by the state for three years once he’s released from his prison term in 2028.
“No correctional officer is above the law,” U.S. Attorney Kevin G. Ritz for the Western District of Tennessee said in a Monday news release. “The defendant assaulted an inmate and then tried to cover it up. This office’s National Security and Civil Rights Unit will continue to prioritize the prosecution of public employees who violate the civil rights of others.”
The FBI Memphis office investigated the case.
According to the DOJ, the inmate did not resist Griffin or pose a threat, making the attack unjustified. Moreover, a codefendant named Sebron Hollands pleaded guilty last year to helping covering up the assault by “providing false information” in an official report to “obstruct the investigation of the incident,” the news release adds.
