SCRANTON, PA — Tyrik Brown, 29, has found himself in even deeper water while serving time at the Federal Correctional Institution in Schuylkill, Minersville, Pennsylvania. The inmate, originally from Washington D.C., has just had his stay behind bars extended by six months, courtesy of U.S. District Court Judge Robert D. Mariani. Why? For being caught red-handed with a weapon not found in your average toolbox—a prison-made “shank”.
For those not in the know, a “shank” is slang for a homemade knife. It’s the kind of contraption you might expect to see in a gritty movie about life on the inside, cobbled together from bits and pieces found lying around, and sharp enough to do some serious damage.
This latest chapter in Brown’s story unfolded on March 20, 2024, when he was sentenced for possession of contraband in prison, a charge that stems from an incident back in April 2023. It was then that the eagle-eyed staff at FCI Schuylkill spotted Brown with the dangerous implement.
Brown, who was already serving a sentence from Washington D.C. for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm—a sentence not set to expire until November 2024—pleaded guilty to the charges laid against him. His admission threw a spotlight on the very real dangers lurking within prison walls, not just from the inmates themselves but from what they can fashion into weapons.
The case was brought to light thanks to the diligent efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Prisons Special Investigative Service, with Assistant United States Attorney Robert J. O’Hara leading the prosecution.
What makes this case particularly noteworthy is the decision by Judge Mariani to have Brown’s new sentence run consecutively to his existing one. This means Brown won’t start serving his additional six months until he’s finished his current sentence for firearms possession. In essence, just when Brown thought he could see the light at the end of the tunnel, his time on the inside just got extended.
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