PHILADELPHIA, PA — Ivory S. Cousins, 35, of Glassboro, New Jersey, was found guilty on Thursday, April 10, of multiple civil rights violations stemming from her time as a correctional officer at the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility. The charges included three counts of depriving an inmate of his civil rights under color of law and one count of filing a false incident report.
The conviction follows an August 2024 indictment accusing Cousins of ignoring an inmate’s serious injuries after an assault by other inmates, using excessive force by pepper-spraying him, aiding in the theft of his belongings, and obstructing the investigation.
At trial, prosecutors demonstrated that Cousins failed to provide medical care for the injured inmate and intentionally concealed his condition from a superior officer. After a colleague called for medical assistance, Cousins escalated the incident by deploying pepper spray against the injured man without cause. Furthermore, she enabled another inmate involved in the assault to steal from the victim’s cell.
Cousins later falsified her report, claiming the inmate had been combative, engaged in a fight, and used a weapon, which was disproven during the investigation.
“Prisoners still have civil rights, and we will prosecute all violations committed by officials entrusted with their security,” stated U.S. Attorney David Metcalf.
Cousins faces a maximum sentence of 41 years in prison, with sentencing scheduled for July 24. The case was investigated by the FBI, with significant assistance from the Philadelphia Department of Prisons, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Everett Witherell and Jessica Rice.
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