cruel and unusual

Three former jail employees in Oklahoma are facing criminal charges after they forced inmates to listen repeatedly to “Baby Shark,” the wildly popular song beloved by children and despised by parents around the globe, according to court records.

Christian Miles and Gregory Butler, both 21 and former Oklahoma County Jail detention officers, as well as their former supervisor, Christopher Hendershott, 50, were charged on Monday with cruelty to prisoners, corporal punishment to an inmate and conspiracy, Oklahoma County District Court records show.

On at least five occasions in November and December involving five inmates, each separately, Mr. Miles and Mr. Butler placed the inmate into an empty attorney visitation room, according to affidavits. The two then handcuffed the inmate against the wall, forcing him to stand for as long as two hours, an internal investigation preceding the charges found.

“Baby Shark” was played on repeat, through a computer, while the inmate was forced to listen to it.

Oklahoma City attorney Casey Davis compared the allegations to Guantanamo Bay torture tactics.