Time for some confessions. How many of you know this song?
Spoilers: most of us do.
At some point, be it as a joke or otherwise, Baby Shark is a song that we would have come across.
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As of this writing, the song has over 6.7 billion views!
But have you ever thought that this song would be used for mental torture? And we don’t just mean for annoying your friends over an online call, either.
Charged For Using ‘Baby Shark’
Three former jail employees in Oklahoma are facing criminal charges and you probably guessed why: making inmates repeatedly listen to Baby Shark as a form of torture.
The three arrested were identified as former Oklahoma County Jail detention officers Christian Miles and Gregory Butler, both 21, and their former supervisor, Christopher Hendershott, 50.
They were subsequently charged on 5 October.
But how exactly was a viral kid’s song used for torture?
Multiple Cases
Apparently, between November and December last year, Miles and Butler got hold of five inmates all at separate times.
They would cuff the inmate to a wall for two hours while repeatedly playing the song from a computer.
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People can go crazy listening to something over and over, after all. Especially when it’s ‘Baby Shark’.
Miles also said that the song was an inside joke between him and Butler.
The Oklahoma County district attorney described the intentions of the three men as cruel and inhumane.
He claims they put “undue emotional stress on the inmates who were most likely already suffering” especially since the inmates were already handcuffed.
Why can’t innocent kids’ songs just remain as that?
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Some Were More Affected
This even affected two inmates who were initially asleep.
Each of them was forced into the room slightly after 2am and 3am respectively and subject to the song.
The district attorney also mentioned that Miles and Butler have had multiple complaints made against them for mistreatment. Hendershott also did not discipline the two properly.
“It was unfortunate that I could not find a felony statute to fit this fact scenario,” he said when the three were only charged for misdemeanour.
As of today, Butler and Miles have resigned and Hendershott is retired.
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At the end of the day, no matter what method was used, it was wrong to subject inmates to mental torture.
Baby Shark: Are you suggesting that I cause mental illness?
Not, it wasn’t a suggestion. Isn’t that a universal truth?
Here’s what NCMPs are, and what to expect after GE2025:
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