Massachusetts Department of Correction's Murder Psychiatric Patient

A very disturbing article was published on the Boston.com site today.

As upsetting as a story like this is, it is worth sharing because it illustrates the State's brutal disregard for patient/inmate well-being and an overall ignorance of compassion, not to mention what appears to be a ruthless contempt for humanity all together. The phrase, "above the law" seems more and more to be a code of conduct for police and correctional officers, nationwide.

In response to this incident, Bridgewater State's spokeswoman Diane Wiffin reported to the media, “There is no indication that there was any excessive force at this time.’’

That's even though the death certificate ruled the 23 year old boy died of “blunt impact of head and compression of the chest," which most obviously occurred while being restrained by guards. He was after all, "brought to the emergency room of Brockton Hospital May 4 in cardiac arrest, with a bruise on his forehead and cheek; dried blood on his nostrils and in his hair; ligature marks or indentations on his neck, wrists, and ankles; and a scrape on his eyebrows."

The president of the Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union, Steve Kenneway, said he heard that Messier assaulted two officers and that other officers then helped subdue him. As if that somehow discounts or excuses the fact that the psych patient was restrained and then beaten to death by over zealous correctional officers.

The president of cop-outs went on to say, "“It was a clean use of force...The last thing we want the public to think is an inmate was murdered by a correctional officer. That’s clearly not the case.’’

Clearly. It wasn't a correctional officer who beat the paranoid schizophrenic boy to death. It was probably a couple of correctional officers.

Kenneway had the gall to say the medical examiner’s designation of the death as a homicide was simply a "legal term" to indicate that someone was involved in Messier’s death.

Wondering who that someone was? The boy's mother said she hopes someone is charged in her son’s death - especially since other patients of the facility witnessed correction officers taking her son into a back room and beating him to death.

Unfortunately, it's likely the State and it's flunkies at Bridgewater State will corrupt justice at every angle to shelter itself from responsibility. After all, these travesties usually prove that the Just-Us system is just as corrupted as the overzealous foot soldiers it employs on the State level.

Good Luck and God Speed to the family of the deceased, and may the 23 year old Joshua Messier rest in peace.