SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — A senior corrections officer at a youth detention facility in Bordentown, New Jersey has pleaded guilty to assaulting an inmate.
According to the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, 43-year-old Jason Parks of Gibbstown admitted to punching an inmate in February 2019 at Albert C. Wagner Youth Correctional Facility. He hit him twice in the back of the head while he was handcuffed and restrained by other corrections officers, causing the inmate’s head to slam into a wall.
Authorities said Parks lied in his written report, saying the inmate cursed at him and threatened to spit in his face. Parks had claimed he hit him in the mouth to prevent him from spitting.
Officials said Parks also convinced another officer to lie in the written report in order to cover up the abuse.
Surveillance video of the incident later contradicted Parks’ claims.
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“The actions of the officer were not only unjustified and excessive, they were brutal and vicious,” Attorney General Matt Platkin said in a statement.
Under Parks’ plea deal, he agreed to never seek public employment in New Jersey.
His sentencing is scheduled for March. Parks could face up to 10 years in prison.