A former Mississippi deputy warden pleaded guilty May 26 to inmate assault at Parchman Prison.
Melvin Hilson, 49, a former deputy warden of the Mississippi State Penitentiary (also known as Parchman), pleaded guilty to violating an inmate’s civil rights in 2016. According to a Department of Justice news release, Hilson repeatedly beat and threw the inmate to the ground, which caused the victim to suffer a ruptured eardrum, ear and neck abrasions and prolonged headaches.
“This defendant is being held accountable for violating his duty as a corrections officer by unlawfully assaulting an inmate under his custody," Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said in the release. "This former Parchman deputy warden caused severe injury to the victim, and his actions violated the trust that we place in corrections officials to lawfully carry out their duties. The Civil Rights Division will continue to hold law enforcement officials accountable when they use force without basis and violate people’s civil rights inside our jails and prisons.”
According to the release, Hilson was part of Parchman's K-9 unit when the assault took place. Around Aug. 3, 2016, the inmate was in an enclosed area within a medical unit to be evaluated by a medical professional. Hilton entered the area where the inmate was and punched him with a closed fist repeatedly even though the inmate posed no threat of harm to himself or others.
“When corrections officials use unlawful, unnecessary and unwarranted force against inmates, it casts a stain on the profession and all the upstanding officers who do their jobs each and every day within the confines of the law,” U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner said, according to the release. “Today’s guilty plea is an important step to ensuring that those who choose to violate the public’s trust are held accountable for their illegal actions.”
Hilson was indicted in June on three separate counts, including writing a false report to conceal the assault and lying to Mississippi Department of Corrections investigators about the assault, according to the release.
The release reported the obstruction charges will be dismissed after sentencing completion. The civil rights violation carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Hilson is scheduled for sentencing Sept. 1.
