CAMDEN COUNTY, Fla. – Video obtained by News4JAX on Tuesday shows a corrections officer in the Camden County jail pushing an inmate into a glass door before the inmate loses consciousness.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) said the officer was arrested after the incident. And it wasn’t the first time a corrections officer at the same jail has been arrested for abusing inmates in the last year.
Camden County Sheriff Jim Proctor said in a statement Tuesday that Camden County corrections officers get more training than the state requires, but a local activist said the incident is not isolated and the jail needs to change its ways.
An 11-second video from July 3 captures Camden County Sergeant Corrections Officer Joshua Beauchamp walking an inmate to a glass door that led to an isolation cell. Then, after words were exchanged, Beauchamp pushed the inmate into the door, the inmate hit his head and collapsed, video showed.
Local minister and President for Camden County’s NAACP chapter Timothy Bessent Sr. said mistreatment of inmates at the jail is common.
“Just another incident inside the Camden County jail. It appears that this has been the norm now for the Camden County Sheriff’s Department jail,” Bessent said.
In September 2022, Camden County’s corrections officers Mason Garrick, Braxton Massey and Ryan Biegal were arrested and indicted for beating inmate Jarrett Hobbs.
In March 2023, at the same jail, corrections officer Jacoby Anderson was arrested after a scuffle with inmate Zyaire Ratliff.
Beauchamp, 37, has been charged with one count of aggravated assault, false statements and violation of oath of public office.
The inmate was taken to a local hospital. Beauchamp was booked into the same jail where he shoved the inmate into a glass door. Jail records show Beauchamp has bonded out and the inmate was treated and released from the hospital.
A spokesman for Sheriff Proctor issued a statement to News4JAX that reads, in part, “The State of Georgia mandates that certified Peace Officers receive 20 hours of training annually. Sheriff Proctor requires forty (40) hours for employees, twenty more than is mandated by the State of Georgia. This training includes de-escalation training, The protocol for Use of Force, Stress Management, to name just a few. Additional training programs will be forthcoming in the future.
Currently we do not have knowledge of any other incident requiring internal or external investigation. Disciplinary action on employees not following procedure and policy are quickly investigated. Any and all Use of Force incidents are examined by multiple staff and Command Staff. General and unannounced audits are being conducted, specifically of jail video for compliance and quality control.”
Bessent said that’s not enough.
“Let’s be clear here, it’s not just training. Will training help? Certainly, more training will help but I believe this has become the culture when you know you have cameras throughout the jail,” Bessent said.
GBI said it is continuing to investigate the case involving Beauchamp.
Bessent hopes that all of Camden County understands they are affected by the actions of a few corrections officers because even in jail everyone should feel safe.