A former correctional officer in southern West Virginia, Mark Holdren, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a US federal civil rights violation in the death of an inmate. The inmate, Quantez Burks, had died less than 24 hours after being booked to jail.
The inmate had been detained for a minor offense before he was found unresponsive in his cell the following day. An investigation by federal authorities revealed that the officers in question had used excessive force during the inmate’s detention, causing serious injuries that led to his death. Mark Holdren is the fifth officer to plead guilty in the case, with the last two officers entering their guilty pleas in August.
The officer’s actions were found to have violated the inmate’s constitutional right under the Eighth Amendment to be free from cruel and unusual punishment. The incident has drawn much scrutiny over detention conditions and accountability within correctional facilities.
The officer’s plea agreement stipulates that he could face a significant prison term and fines, with a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The sentencing is to happen in the coming months.
During the hearing, the officer expressed remorse, stating that he “deeply regretted” his actions. However, federal prosecutors underscored the severity of the offense, emphasizing that correctional officers have a duty to uphold the safety and rights of those in their custody.
Civil rights advocates and family members of the deceased have called for broader reforms and increased oversight within West Virginia’s correctional system, as they pointed to a pattern of alleged mistreatment and abuse in the state’s detention facilities.
The West Virginia chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) issued a statement condemning the actions and calling for “meaningful reforms” to prevent similar incidents in the future.
The family had decided to have a private autopsy conducted which found that Burks had multiple areas of blunt force trauma on his body after the state medical examiner’s office had initially attributed the death to natural causes. Quantez Burks’ mother had said in response to this development in September: “To find out that they actually labeled it as a homicide is a big deal to me.”
Former Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation Executive Officer Brad Douglas as well as former Homeland Security Chief Phil Sword were sacked in October 2023 following a finding of the intentional destruction of records.
This comes after the US Department of Justice found unconstitutional conditions and rights violations in Georgia prisons and the US appeals court upheld a Mississippi lifetime voting ban for certain felons. In August, the US Department of Justice announced an investigation of civil rights violations in a privately run Tennessee prison. Further, a class action lawsuit filed by inmates in West Virginia prisons over prison conditions led to a $4 million settlement.
