A former Tennessee Department of Corrections (TDOC) tactical officer, Javian Griffin, 38, was sentenced Monday to 48 months in prison for brutally beating an inmate in the head, breaking his jaw, officials stated.
Griffin also wrote a false report to cover up the crime, according to authorities.
Griffin pleaded guilty to the offense on Oct. 11, 2023. His co-defendant, another former TDOC tactical officer, Sebron Hollands, pleaded guilty to writing a false report on Oct. 2, 2023.
“The defendant pledged to protect and serve but instead he abused his authority as a corrections officer, violently punching a man in the head and breaking his jaw,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The defendant made matters worse by trying to cover up his tracks with a false report. This sentence sends a clear message that the Justice Department will hold accountable any official inside our jails and prisons who violates an inmate’s civil rights.”
“No correctional officer is above the law,” said U.S. Attorney Kevin G. Ritz for the Western District of Tennessee. “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.”
“When correctional officers abuse their authority, it not only violates our civil rights laws, it undermines the criminal justice system,” said Special Agent in Charge Douglas DePodesta of the FBI Memphis Field Office. “The FBI makes it a priority to bring to justice any law enforcement officer who violates the civil rights of those they are sworn to protect.”
According to court documents associated with the guilty plea, Griffin unjustifiably struck an inmate in the head, resulting in a broken jaw for the inmate.
The documents indicate that the inmate neither resisted nor posed any threat that would justify Griffin’s actions.
Following the incident, Griffin wrote a misleading report to conceal the assault. Furthermore, Griffin’s co-defendant, Hollands, contributed to the cover-up by providing false details in his official use of force report, thereby obstructing the investigation into the incident.
The FBI Memphis Field Office investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Pritchard for the Western District of Tennessee and Trial Attorneys Matthew Tannenbaum and Andrew Manns of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section prosecuted the case.