The viral ‘Feeling Cute Challenge’ has taken a dark turn with corrections officers across the nation sharing selfies with captions promoting the mistreatment of inmates.
The #FeelingCute challenge started this month involving everyday people sharing selfies of themselves at work with a caption detailing the duties of their position.
The light-hearted challenge, however, has led to investigations in Texas, Georgia, and Missouri prisons after several correction officers shared posts with shocking captions such as ‘Feeling cute, might just gas some inmates today’ and ‘Feeling cute, might lock up some of your homeboys later’.
Many of those photos were posted in a Facebook group called Correctional Officer Life. In some of the photos the people can be seen wearing a Texas Department of Criminal Justice uniform.
Shocking pictures of correction officers taking part in the #FeelingCute challenge have sparked backlash for promoting the mistreatment of inmates. This officer joked ‘#feelingcute might gas the whole wing later’
The #FeelingCute started earlier this month where everyday people share selfies with a caption detailing their duties at work. In a Facebook group called Correctional Officer Life prison officers have shared selfies with disturbing captions, alluding to harming prisoners
The shocking posts alluded to locking up and harming inmates without reason. This officer shared her smiling selfie with the caption: ‘#Feelingcutechallenge…might lock up a few of your homeboys later’
‘#feelingcute might gas the whole wing later,’ one person posted, sharing a selfie of himself wearing a uniform featuring a TDCJ patch.
The two workers who threatened to gas inmates have names that match up to current prison employees, according to the Houston Chronicle.
America’s Police Problem, a website that rallies for law enforcement accountability, shared 40 different problematic posts shared by cops and prison officers from the challenge on Facebook on Sunday, accusing the officers involved taking the challenge to a ‘new dangerous level’.
Some of the shocking captions threaten to beat inmates, deny them visitation, deliberately say no to their requests, and intentionally put them in segregation solitary confinement units known as ‘SEG’ or ‘the hole’.
The captions include: ‘Feeling cute, might shoot your baby daddy today…idk #FeelingCute Challenge’, ‘#Feelingcutechallenge…might lock up a few of your homeboys later’, and ‘#FeelingCuteChallenge say one thing wrong and you going in cuffs’.
America’s Police Problem, a website that rallies for law enforcement accountability, shared 40 different problematic posts shared by cops and prison officers from the challenge on Facebook on Sunday, accusing the officers involved taking the challenge to a ‘new dangerous level’
Others include: ‘Feeling cute…might four point you later’, ‘feeling cute…might deliver OC spray to your baby daddy today’ and ‘feeling cute might shoot to stop later’.
After the photos were shared online, the families of inmates began emailing department officials on Monday reporting the names and screenshots of the selfies, demanding action.
‘The Texas Department of Criminal Justice is aware of the so-called feel cute challenge currently on social media,’ prison spokesman Jeremy Desel said to DailyMail.com.
‘Currently 6 of the more than 25,000 correctional officers employed by this agency are under investigation for on and off-duty conduct violations as a result of the alleged posting of inappropriate photographs on social media,’ Desel added in a statement.
He added that if any of the allegations are proven true ‘swift disciplinary action as severe as termination of involved employees will occur’.
‘These officers in no way represent the thousands of TDCJ employees who go to work every day taking public safety seriously in all ways,’ Desel said.
In this shocking post an officer threatened to shoot without reason
Prisons in Texas, Georgia and Missouri have launched investigations into the employees that participated in the challenge with inappropriate captions
America’s Police Problem reported names of some of the people behind the photos revealing the inappropriate selfies were taken by correctional officers in Michigan, Oklahoma, Missouri, Mississippi, Florida, and Texas.
Officials from the Georgia Department of Corrections released a statement condemning the posts after an employee took part in the challenge.
‘The alleged actions of these individuals do not reflect the conduct expected of any GDC employee, and will not be tolerated. If the allegations are found to be substantiated, swift and appropriate disciplinary action will be taken,’ spokeswoman Joan Health said to the Washington Post Wednesday.
One post from a corrections officer in Jefferson City in Missouri threatened to ‘take your homeboy to the hole’, sparking an investigation.
‘All department of corrections employees are trained in the prevention and reporting of harassment, discrimination and unprofessional conduct and are expected to help ensure that interactions with offenders and fellow employees are professional and respectful,’ Karen Pojmann, communications director for the Missouri Department of Corrections, said to KOMU.
Georgia, Texas, and Missouri’s criminal justice departments have condemned the posts but it’s not clear if anyone has been fired in the investigations