The arrests came after a State Bureau of Investigation probe into allegations of excessive use of force at the Harnett County Detention Center.
The alleged incidents happened in late December.
Adam Russell Isbell, 39, of Spring Lake, and Joseph Austin Collins, 28, of Sanford, are both charged with one count of assault and battery.
Lenora Dawson, 60, of Erwin, is charged with one count of injury of a prisoner by jailer.
Sheriff Wayne Coats said he became aware of the allegations on Jan. 2 and contacted the SBI to conduct an independent investigation.
Coats added that the sheriff's office's internal investigation determined that three detention officers "violated established detention center policies, including those governing the use of pepper spray and the appropriate level of physical force applied to an inmate."
All three detention workers were terminated on March 30.
"Detention officers are entrusted with significant responsibility, including the care, custody, and supervision of individuals in our detention facility," the sheriff's office said in a release. "They are held to the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, and respect for human dignity. When those standards are not met, appropriate action is taken."
The SBI said the investigation remains ongoing.