Former security supervisor Morris Gary Hibbitt has been handed down a 13-month prison sentence for the sexual abuse of a female inmate, a punishment followed by a decade of supervised release. The sentencing, which took place last week, was presided over by Judge G. Murray Snow in the federal courtroom of Phoenix. The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona publicized the sentence on Friday, confirming that the crime occurred on May 21, 2023, while Hibbitt was on duty at Behavioral Systems Southwest (BSS), a reentry facility for inmates nearing the end of their terms.
Hibbitt's position was to oversee the security at BSS, a transitional institution meant to integrate inmates back into society. On that day, he chose to grossly betray the trust inherent in his role, assaulting an inmate under his watch. The investigation that followed was jointly conducted by the Department of Justice's Office of the Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen Brook was in charge of the prosecution, an official release informed.
Details of the incident remain under seal, reflecting the sensitive nature of the crime and the privacy rights of the victim. The female inmate, whose identity has not been disclosed, was at the time under the custodial authority of the BOP, housed within BSS, where she was presumably to feel protected and supported in her reintegration into the community.
