Corrections officers plotted ‘going away party’ to ambush inmates awaiting release

A corrections officer from New Jersey who watched two separate attacks on inmates in an officer’s quarters by fellow inmates and a colleague during a “going away party” is going to prison.

Joshua Hand, 35, was sentenced on Tuesday to 20 months — more than a year and a half — in prison, followed by three years of supervised release and a fine of $10,000, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced in a press release.

He pleaded guilty in February to charges of depriving two inmates of their right not to be subjected to cruel and unusual punishment, prosecutors said.

His defense attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Law&Crime.

The attacks happened between April 2019 and December 2019 at Bayside State Prison in Leesburg, New Jersey.

Court documents said the attacks at the prison were common. They happened when officers would initiate a “going away party” for an inmate nearing the end of his prison sentence or their transfer to another unit or facility.

Corrections officers orchestrated the assaults and recruited other inmates to carry out the assaults. Sometimes, the corrections officers themselves either helped to restrain the inmate or directly participated in the assaults.

The assaults took place in areas of the prison’s kitchen out of sight of surveillance cameras so that there was no visual record.

The indictment outlines two assaults of two separate inmates that occurred on Dec. 5, 2019.

The first one happened when shortly before Victim 1’s scheduled release from prison, he was summoned to the officers’ quarters by Hand’s colleague, who was identified in court documents as John Makos, 44.

Shortly after Victim 1 entered the officer’s quarters, the exit door was blocked, and he was assaulted by several inmates and taken down to the floor as Hand and Makos watched.

During the assault, Victim 1 was held down by several inmates while others delivered punches and other blows to the torso, arms, and legs of Victim 1. One of the inmates delivered multiple punches to Victim 1’s lower body and torso. Another inmate was positioned near the door as a lookout.

“Hand watched but did not say or do anything to stop the assault,” court documents said.

Victim 1 was injured during the assault but did not complain to prison authorities because he feared that his discharge date might be postponed.

Later that day, Victim 2 was in the officers’ quarters at the prison with Hand and Makos. Without provocation, Makos struck Victim 2 in the legs multiple times with a broomstick while Hand watched.

Makos pleaded guilty in the case and was sentenced to 30 months or 2 ½ years, officials said.

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