Butner, North Carolina — A former supervisor at a federal prison in North Carolina has been found guilty after a probe revealed he directed a correctional officer to administer physical punishment to an inmate.

Daniel Mitchell, a former lieutenant with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, entered a guilty plea earlier this week on a felony charge of conspiring to violate the civil rights of the prisoner, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice.

“Correctional officers operate in perilous settings with limited resources, and they should earn our respect and appreciation,” said U.S. Attorney Michael F. Easley Jr. in a statement. “However, when officers step outside legal boundaries to harm an inmate, it undermines the foundation of law, infringes on civil rights, and endangers the lives of other officers.”

Mitchell’s attorney did not provide comments regarding the case on Saturday.

The incident occurred at the Federal Correctional Institution Butner Medium II, specifically within the special housing unit supervised by Mitchell, as reported by authorities. This facility has a population of over 1,600 inmates, based on information from its website.

On December 8, 2021, a correctional officer informed Mitchell that the inmate had exposed himself and engaged in a sexual act in her presence while she was conducting routine checks in the unit. Following this report, Mitchell began discussing with another officer the potential ways to discipline the inmate.

Neither the inmate nor the two correctional officers involved have been publicly identified in the documents from the U.S. Department of Justice or the case records. There has been no indication whether the officer who conspired with Mitchell would face any charges.

Typically, the prison’s procedure for addressing misconduct involves documentation of the violations, which is given to the individual involved—referred to as “counseling,” according to court filings.

Mitchell and the other officer reportedly agreed that conventional disciplinary measures would be ineffective for the inmate. While discussing their plans, Mitchell allegedly instructed the officer to “teach (the man) a lesson” and to “tune” him up—both phrases understood as a directive for physical punishment, according to court documents. He also advised the officer to “stay away from (the man’s) face” during the assault.

The inmate was subsequently placed in a different cell, where the officer proceeded to hit and kick him until they were interrupted by other correctional staff, as stated by the department. Following the incident, the inmate experienced a medical emergency related to spasms, exacerbated by a prior back condition.

An officer who witnessed the assault reported the incident, leading to an investigation by the Office of Inspector General, part of the U.S. Justice Department. Both Mitchell and the officer who conspired with him confessed to investigators that they intended to physically punish the inmate as a form of discipline.

Mitchell faces his sentencing hearing in late March and may receive a prison sentence of up to ten years.