Two Oklahoma prison guards and their supervisor have been charged with cruelty to prisoner offenses, according to a report from Buzzfeed News. The two guards allegedlyforced inmates to stand for hours while listening to 'Baby Shark' on loop. The supervisor was reportedly aware of the situation and let it happen.
While 'Baby Shark' is a particularly cruel song choice, playing any music on repeat for hours is considered a form of psychological torture. It has even been used as a means of torture by CIA agents in the past, according to a 2014 Senate Intelligence Committee report.
At the Oklahoma prison, the guards would play 'Baby Shark' "on a loop to play repetitively aloud...thus putting undue emotional stress on the inmates who were most likely already suffering from physical stressors," investigators wrote. The investigators concluded that "the playing of the music was said to be a joke" between the guards, however, they guards allege they were trying to teach the prisoners "a lesson."
In a statement on behalf of the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office, a spokesperson announced both guards and their supervisor have been removed from contact with inmates back in December. All three guards voluntarily left the sheriff's office during the investigation. "We don't tolerate it," Sheriff P.D. Taylor told localnews outletThe Oklahoman. "We always did an excellent job policing ourselves."
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