The U.S. Department of Justice announced that Michael Pack, 40, a former correctional officer at Southern Regional Jail in Beaver, West Virginia, was sentenced to 24 months in prison. Pack pleaded guilty on March 30 to one count of conspiracy under 18 U.S.C. § 371. According to court records cited by the department, Pack admitted that he and other officers struck inmates, including pretrial detainees, as punishment, often taking them to camera blind spots. He admitted that he did not intervene when co-conspirators assaulted a handcuffed detainee in an interview room. He also admitted writing a false report that omitted the detainee's presence in that room and claimed the detainee was not injured, though the detainee was bleeding from the head. The FBI investigated.
Why it matters
Pack pleaded guilty and was sentenced for a conspiracy that, according to the Justice Department, involved unjustified force against detainees and false reports meant to avoid accountability.
Convicted: A court found guilt, or the person pleaded guilty. An appeal may still be possible. Researched with AI assistance from the sources listed here and reviewed under our methodology.