By D.E. Smoot
Muskogee Phoenix
MUSKOGEE PHOENIX, Okla. — A federal judge meted out prison sentences for two former jail administrators convicted more than a year ago of violating the civil rights of Muskogee County inmates.
Raymond A. Barnes, 44, who worked as the superintendent of the Muskogee County/City Detention Facility before he was fired in October 2011, was ordered to serve a year and a day in prison. Upon his release, Barnes is expected to undergo two years of supervised probation.
Christopher A. Brown, 33, who worked under Barnes as assistant jail superintendent, was sentenced to six months in a federal penitentiary. Brown’s prison sentence will be followed by three years of supervised release.
During a sentencing hearing Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Ronald A. White granted both men’s requests for a departure from federal sentencing guidelines. Lawyers representing Barnes argued his case was “not a typical case of deprivation of rights” and required an atypical sentence,” and Brown’s counsel contended the guidelines “would be overly punitive and severe and gross miscarriage of justice.”
Court documents show White also allowed both men to remain free pending the outcomes of their appeals. Those actions are pending before the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Both Barnes and Brown were found guilty of conspiring to violate the rights of inmates housed at the county jail during a period of time that spanned from August 2009 to May 2011. Evidence presented during the February 2014 trial in the U.S. District Court of Eastern Oklahoma showed Barnes and Brown either assaulted the inmates themselves or directed other jailers to do so by threatening termination or filing false reports.
Prosecutors also presented evidence showing that the pair organized “meet-and-greets,” during which “jailers would scare, punish and harm incoming inmates from neighboring counties.” The alleged conduct included “throwing and slamming the handcuffed inmates to the ground.”
Both Brown and Barnes were convicted of violating the rights of an inmate identified only as J.R., who was “slammed ... head first to the ground while handcuffed.” Barnes was convicted of violating another inmate identified as G.T. for similar conduct. Brown was acquitted of that charge but convicted of making false statements of material facts to the FBI.
“The Department of Justice will not hesitate to prosecute corrections officers who violate their oath and abuse those who are entrusted to their custody,” Acting Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta of the department’s civil rights division stated in a media release. “The convictions and sentences in this case make clear that the department will vigorously enforce the civil rights laws.”
Muskogee County Sheriff Charles Pearson said steps have been taken since Barnes and Brown were indicted to guard against prisoner abuse. He said the installation of state-of-the-art surveillance equipment allows him and his staff to closely monitor the conduct of employees and inmates alike.
“We have made some dramatic changes and are trying to bring up our wages so we can recruit and retain good employees,” Pearson said, noting the challenges of working inside a jail. “It comes down to one thing: We have to maintain a safe environment for employees and inmates alike and take care of the prisoners until their cases are adjudicated.”
Pearson said he and other sheriff’s office employees cooperated with federal investigators after the conduct of Barnes and Brown came to light. The case was investigated by the Muskogee Resident Agency of the FBI’s Oklahoma City division and prosecuted by Fara Gold and Dana Mulhauser of the U.S. Department of Justice’s civil rights division.