By Robert Moran
The Philadelphia Inquirer
PHILADELPHIA — A former Philadelphia correctional officer was sentenced Tuesday to 42 months in federal prison for repeatedly pepper-spraying inmates and falsifying records about the incidents, U.S. Attorney David Metcalf said Tuesday.
Christopher Knight, 48, of Philadelphia, pleaded guilty in March to five counts of depriving individuals of their civil rights under color of law and two counts of falsifying records, Metcalf said.
U.S. District Judge Paul S. Diamond also sentenced Knight to one year of supervised release after he serves his prison term.
While a sergeant at the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility, Knight pepper-sprayed five subdued victims, prosecutors said.
Knight admitted that he sprayed his first victim in January 2023 while the inmate was lying face down on the ground with his hands behind his back, prosecutors said. Knight also struck the inmate during and after the inmate was being handcuffed.
Two days later, Knight sprayed two more inmates in separate incidents.
He sprayed a fourth inmate in March 2023 while the inmate was writing on a piece of paper and not posing a threat, prosecutors said. Knight continued to spray the inmate while he was lying on the ground and in pain.
Later that month, Knight attacked a fifth inmate, spraying the victim while he was lying on the ground face down, prosecutors said.
Knight falsified multiple use-of-force reports and knowingly omitted key details about his own actions, prosecutors said.
“Correctional officers have significant authority over the inmates in their charge and it’s their duty to wield that power responsibly,” Metcalf said in a statement.
“If they fail to meet this standard, and violate prisoners’ civil rights, as Christopher Knight did, they will be prosecuted and held accountable.”
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