Illinois prison guard sentenced to 20 years for fatal beating of inmate.
A former Illinois state corrections officer, Alex Banta, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for his role in the beating death of a prison inmate in May 2018. Banta was caught up in the culture of silence surrounding violence against inmates, but there was no excuse for his treatment of 65-year-old Larry Earvin at Western Illinois Correctional Center. Banta expressed regret and took responsibility for his actions, but corroborated trial testimony that rough treatment of prisoners was not only condoned but expected at the prison in Mount Sterling.