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Facebook Catches Prisoner Abuse After Guards Brag Online

by Caleb Johnson on February 26, 2010 at 02:40 PM


When will people learn what is and isn't appropriate to post on Facebook? Judging by the news we see on a daily basis, probably never.

According to the Omaha World-Herald, three Nebraska state prison guards have been suspended this week after posting comments on Facebook about beating up an inmate. Caleb Bartels posted on his wall on February 8th: "When you work in a prison a good day is getting to smash an inmates [sic] face into the ground... for me today was a VERY good day." Just below this disturbing statement, two other prison guards, Derek Dickey and Shawn Paulson, gave the equivalent of a social networking high-five. Having been made aware of this exchange, State Senator Ernie Chambers wrote a letter to Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning, asking that the men be fired. For now, the state is investigating the incident while the men stay home from work.

Whether or not Bartels unjustly abused an inmate isn't the only thing to consider here (although it is very important). What is also crucial is that the state consider whether or not it's okay for employees to post such comments on the Web -- regardless of whether or not force is necessary. In our opinion, it's tasteless, no matter the circumstances surrounding the alleged physical encounter. [From: the Omaha World-Herald]

Tags: abuse, employment, facebook, facebookfaceloss, prison, prison guard, PrisonGuard, socialnetworking, suspension, top, web

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