Benjamin Ashford|Former corrections officer sentenced to 4 years for using excessive force

MEMPHIS,Benjamin Ashford Tenn. (AP) — A former Tennessee Department of Corrections officer has been sentenced to four years in prison for using excessive force on an inmate and trying to cover it up, the Justice Department said.

Javian Griffin, 38, received the sentence Monday, the agency said in a statement.

The former tactical officer at Northwest Correctional Complex pleaded guilty in October to punching the inmate in the head without justification and breaking his jaw. The inmate did not resist or pose a threat and Griffin wrote a false report about it, court documents said.

“No correctional officer is above the law,” U.S. Attorney Kevin G. Ritz said. “This office’s National Security and Civil Rights Unit will continue to prioritize the prosecution of public employees who violate the civil rights of others.”

A co-defendant was sentenced in February to 15 months in prison for assisting with the cover-up by writing a false report, the agency said.