(ConservativeInsider.org) – A disabled inmate, Charles Givens, died while incarcerated at Virginia’s Marion Correctional Treatment Center last year. His sister, Kymberly Hobbs, had been his primary caregiver for many years as he never developed emotionally or intellectually past the age of 7 following a coma. Givens was incarcerated for a 2010 murder. Hobbs confirms that the FBI has an ongoing investigation in addition to her lawsuit. The suit alleges that five correctional officers participated in the savage beating of the 52-year-old inmate in February 2022.
All guards have denied any wrongdoing, and none have been charged. Givens was housed in a facility for disabled inmates. Givens was found dead on his cot after a shower, but the medical examination after death showed that Givens died from “blunt force trauma.” Surveillance shows that he was in the shower area for nearly 20 minutes before being returned to his cot. The alleged officers are shown escorting him to his cot.
The Virginia State Police have an ongoing investigation, and the Virginia Department of Corrections is performing an administrative review. The outcomes of those investigations are presently being withheld due to privacy and discretion. Hobbs contends that the investigations have stalled due to the outcome of the grand jury.
A grand jury declined to bring criminal indictment to the officers in 2022, and the lawsuit is currently scheduled for a jury trial in August 2024. Hobbs claims that the abuse was ongoing as Givens was unable to speak up for himself; his diminished capacity made him vulnerable and unable to defend himself.
Leigh Anne McKingsley, the senior director of disability and justice initiatives at The Arc, works to serve people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), says that the data provided, whether accurate or not, is staggering and shows that those with IDD are much more likely to be victimized and exploited.
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