1. Except as provided in subsection 3 of this section, a person commits the offense of offender abuse if he or she knowingly injures the physical well-being of any offender under the jurisdiction of the department by beating, striking, wounding or by sexual contact with such person.

2. Offender abuse is a class D felony.

Attorney's Note

Under the Missouri Laws, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
Class D felonyup to 7 yearsup to $10,000
For details, see Mo. Rev. Stat.§ 558.011

Terms Used In Missouri Laws 217.405

  • Department: the department of corrections of the state of Missouri. See Missouri Laws 217.010
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Offender: a person under supervision or an inmate in the custody of the department. See Missouri Laws 217.010
  • person: may extend and be applied to bodies politic and corporate, and to partnerships and other unincorporated associations. See Missouri Laws 1.020

3. No employee of the department shall use any physical force on an offender except the employee shall have the right to use such physical force as is necessary to defend himself or herself, suppress an individual or group revolt or insurrection, enforce discipline or to secure the offender.