What happened to Messiah Nantwi behind the walls of Mid-State Correctional Facility should alarm every American — especially those who believe in justice, due process, and the rule of law.
The 22-year-old died after being viciously beaten by prison guards in March. This week, 10 correctional officers were indicted — two for second-degree murder, others for manslaughter, assault, and participating in a cover-up so sloppy, it’s hard to believe it almost worked.
This tragedy isn’t just a headline, it’s a warning.
According to the indictment, officers initiated the assault after Nantwi objected to being handcuffed during a routine headcount. His hands were raised when they entered. He was compliant until things escalated.
What followed was a relentless attack — first in his room, then in a stairwell, and finally in a holding cell — leaving him unresponsive. Even worse, guards allegedly met at a diner the next morning to coordinate false reports, plant a weapon, and erase evidence. According to the released indictment, one officer was caught on a bodycam left recording in a bathroom discussing the plan before realizing he was being recorded.
Let’s be clear; this isn’t about one bad apple. It’s about a system that allowed this to happen in the first place.
This is exactly why prison reform is not just necessary — it’s urgent.
Too often, corrections officers act with impunity behind closed doors, protected by a system that shields them from real accountability. In this case, six other officers cooperated with investigators, and two pled guilty to felonies, but had they not stepped forward, Messiah’s death would have been buried like so many others.
But while we’re demanding reform and accountability for what happens behind prison walls, we also need to keep our eyes on what’s happening outside of them — specifically in the political rhetoric taking shape with the current administration.
Donald Trump and his administration have proven that they don’t care about the law and due process when it comes to deporting immigrants but recently he’s announced that his office is expanding the deportation effort to include U.S. citizens—without due process as it was argued in front of the Supreme Court. Let that sit for a minute.
Stripping people of citizenship or deporting them without a fair trial or legal review is not only unconstitutional—it’s a direct threat to the very idea of justice. And history tells us exactly who would be harmed first: Black and Brown communities.
From stop-and-frisk to mandatory minimums, Black and Brown people have always borne the brunt of policies designed to punish first and ask questions later. Now imagine a world where people are accused, detained, and deported without legal recourse. No trial. No defense. No appeal. Just gone.
We don’t have to imagine too hard. We’ve seen wrongful arrests happen to U.S.-born citizens who couldn’t prove their citizenship fast enough. We’ve seen how language barriers, lack of documentation, and racial profiling lead to devastating consequences, and we’ve seen how prisons and immigration detention centers often mirror each other, both being overcrowded, underregulated, and invisible to the public.
The overlap is no coincidence. Black immigrants are disproportionately detained and deported compared to other immigrant groups. Many are funneled through the same system that failed Messiah Nantwi. So when someone calls to remove due process, it’s not just about immigration. It’s about expanding a punitive system that already fails the most vulnerable.
If Trump’s proposals were ever enacted, they would turbocharge that failure.
We need to fix the system, not feed it.
That starts with prison reform: ending solitary confinement, installing body cameras on all guards (that actually stay on), and creating independent oversight. It also means protecting due process for everyone, because the minute we decide that some people don’t deserve a fair trial, none of us are safe.
Messiah Nantwi’s death should spark outrage, yes, but also action. It’s a tragic example of what happens when power goes unchecked and institutions designed to rehabilitate instead choose to destroy.
Remember, justice isn’t optional, and due process isn’t a privilege; it’s a right.
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