Knowing what we know about the conditions at the Oklahoma County Jail, I guess we shouldn't be surprised to learn that jail employees are experts at deploying childish, immature ways to torment and psychologically torture inmates!
Earlier this morning, Nolan Clay with The Oklahoman_ reported that diabolical Oklahoma County DA David Prater has charged three former jail employees with misdemeanor charges of cruelty to a prisoner, and conspiracy, for forcing handcuffed inmates to stand and listen to Baby Shark as a form of extra-curricular punishment.
Via The Oklahoman_:
Two former detention officers and their supervisor were charged Monday after an investigation found inmates at the Oklahoma County jail were forced to listen to the popular children's song, "Baby Shark," on a loop at loud volumes for extended periods of time.
At least four inmates were subjected to the "inhuman" discipline in an attorney visitation room of the jail last November and December, according to the charge. The inmates was forced to stand the entire time, hands cuffed behind them and secured to the wall, the investigation found.
Sure, that's immature and terrible and everything, but on a positive note, at least the inmates didn't die mysteriously at the hands of jail staff! I guess that means we're moving in the right direction. Plus, the inmates will have a weird story to tell their friends the next time they rappel out of the facility for a little R&R.
Here's more:
Charged were Gregory Cornell Butler Jr., 21, of Edmond; Christian Charles Miles, 21, of Oklahoma City; and Christopher Raymond Hendershott, 50, of Wellston.
District Attorney David Prater charged them with misdemeanor counts of cruelty to a prisoner and conspiracy.
"It was unfortunate that I could not find a felony statute to fit this fact scenario," Prater said. "I would have preferred filing a felony on this behavior."
The DA said the Legislature definitely should look at making a change to the law.
Wow. Imagine that! An Oklahoma prosecutor wants to make a misdemeanor crime a felony! I'm sure the legislature will get to work on that in the name of criminal justice reform!
The sheriff said Monday that Butler and Miles were suspended from any contact with inmates "as soon as I knew about it." He said they resigned during the internal investigation. He said the lieutenant retired.
"We don't tolerate it," he said of the mistreatment. "We always did an excellent job policing ourselves."
Miles confirmed that he and Butler "systematically worked together and used the ... attorney booth as a means to discipline inmates and teach them a lesson because they felt that disciplinary action within the Detention Center was not working in correcting the behavior of the inmates," an investigator wrote in affidavits filed in the case.
"Butler also confirmed that he used the booth as a means of punishment," the investigator wrote. "The playing of the music was said to be a joke between Miles and Butler."
The music put "undue emotional stress on the inmates who were most likely already suffering from physical stressors," the investigator wrote.
If you ask me – and since you're still reading this you kind of are – the really stupid part about this story is the jail morons choosing Baby Shark as the song to punish the inmates.
I'm the lazy parent of a two-year-old girl who hasn't gone to daycare since March, so I've also been forced to endure my fair share of nursery rhymes and/or Disney and Sesame Streets tunes on YouTube. Sure, I haven't been handcuffed to a wall while the songs play, but I do occasionally have to sing them at bedtime, and know which ones cause "undue emotional stress."
Anyway, I'm not even sure I'd put Baby Shark in the Top 10 most annoying toddler tunes! Sure, it sticks in your head and is a bit too catchy, but it's actually tolerable when compared to the other animated Little Baby Bum / CocoMelon nursery rhymes. Those things are the worst. The animation is bad, the voices are terrible, and the warped animators gave every mom a J-Lo body. They're weird to watch!
If jail employees really want to commit a misdemeanor in order to teach these inmates a lesson, they'd pick the most annoying and ruthless toddler song of all time. One that I know way too well...
Baby Shark never bothered me anyway.
