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Prisoner Awarded $30,001 in Beating Suit
A federal jury in Bangor, Maine, awarded damages to 25-year-old Billy Williams for being beaten by two guards while imprisoned in Maine's Supermax prison in 1994. A seven-member jury deliberated for two and a half hours before deciding to award $30,000 in punitive damages. They also awarded $1 in compensatory damages.
The punitive damages, ostensibly awarded as a deterrent to future beatings by Supermax guards, may not serve that purpose in this case. Asked if the two guards, Sgt. Scott Drake and Francis Frederick Ford, would be subject to disciplinary hearings, assistant attorney general Diane Sleek said, "I don't think that is going to happen."
The two Maine Correctional Institution guards deny using excessive force during a confrontation with Williams on June 19, 1994.
Corrections Digest
The punitive damages, ostensibly awarded as a deterrent to future beatings by Supermax guards, may not serve that purpose in this case. Asked if the two guards, Sgt. Scott Drake and Francis Frederick Ford, would be subject to disciplinary hearings, assistant attorney general Diane Sleek said, "I don't think that is going to happen."
The two Maine Correctional Institution guards deny using excessive force during a confrontation with Williams on June 19, 1994.
Corrections Digest
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Related legal case
Case Name Unknown
| Year | 1997 |
|---|---|
| Level | District Court |
| Conclusion | Jury Verdict |
| Damages | 30001 |
| Injunction Status | N/A |