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'Scared Straight' Kid Beaten by Guards

By TChris, Section Juvenile Offenders
Posted on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 10:39:04 AM EST
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by TChris

What lesson does a troubled 13-year-old kid learn when his father, using a "scared straight" approach to crime prevention, turns him over to prison guards who brutalize him?

Anthony Donald Sr. ... placed the youngster, who has never been charged with a crime, in the hands of two friends who are Shuman guards. ... Donald Jr. said the guards ordered him to strip in a public place and put on a uniform. When he refused, he said, four guards forced him to the ground, beat him and stripped off his pants.

The four guards, employed by the Shuman Juvenile Detention Center in Pennsylvania, are designated as "child care workers." Child abusers would be a more appropriate title. They've been charged with unlawful restraint and false imprisonment, as well as a variety of other crimes, including assault, child endangerment and making terroristic threats. The father is charged with conspiracy and child endangerment.

The boy's mother legitimately wonders how the guards treat children who are actually detained in the facility if this is how they behave with a friend's child.

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    • 'Scared Straight' Kid Beaten by Guards | 29 comments (29 topical)
    Re: 'Scared Straight' Kid Beaten by Guards (none / 0) (#1)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 11:13:39 AM EST
    Misdemeanors? Sounds like the guards are getting off too easy.

    Re: 'Scared Straight' Kid Beaten by Guards (none / 0) (#3)
    by kdog on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 12:08:55 PM EST
    Another candidate for "father of the year". As to the abuse, no one should be surprised. The sad thing is, the guards WERE "taking it easy" on him. But when it comes to the abuse and sometimes torture of inmates young and old, the public's silence is their endorsement.

    Re: 'Scared Straight' Kid Beaten by Guards (none / 0) (#4)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 12:24:01 PM EST
    Raising our next generation to mistrust and fear authority? Seriously, his dad knew these guys, why did he give them his son?

    Re: 'Scared Straight' Kid Beaten by Guards (none / 0) (#5)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 12:24:57 PM EST
    She said when her own father told Donald Sr. the extent of the youngster's injuries, including bruises to the chest, spasms in his back and swelling to his neck, the father expressed regret. Sorry, I’m not going to search the PA code. Perhaps the story is misleading, or perhaps PA laws needs to be updated. But if adults can cause the above injuries to a child and only be charged with misdemeanors, something is wrong!

    Re: 'Scared Straight' Kid Beaten by Guards (none / 0) (#6)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 12:28:29 PM EST
    No wonder U.S. guards are wondering why they're violating the Geneva Convention for doing in Iraq what they've been doing here. Paraphrasing a quote from a comment yesterday: America - best third world nation on earth. Thank God for the Iraqis we've replaced Saddam. I think the only thing left we haven't done is torture Olympians. Preemptive Invasion? Check. Slaughter of tens of thousands of innocents? Check. Torture and rape by Government sanctioned forces? Check. And the hits just keep acomin...

    Re: 'Scared Straight' Kid Beaten by Guards (none / 0) (#7)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 12:31:20 PM EST
    Not to be inflammatory, Soldier et. al., but if the guards had only grabbed the kid's balls then we could lock them away for life as pedophiles. (Just an illustration of the disparate punishments for hurting children in different ways)

    Re: 'Scared Straight' Kid Beaten by Guards (none / 0) (#8)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 12:38:03 PM EST
    Let's start an awareness campaign. Perhaps we can find some gullible people to BUY BRACELETS so this atrocity can be exposed to the world. Surely SOME GROUP of people would be gullible enough to squander some of their money on this "effort". Then, satisfied that they have "done their part", they can go to class, wearing their silly bracelet. Hear those titters from the jocks in the back row? And snorts? They like your ferry nice bracelets.

    Re: 'Scared Straight' Kid Beaten by Guards (none / 0) (#10)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 01:09:13 PM EST
    Incidentally, Title 18 is, in part, available here, and not all the offenses mentioned in this case are misdemeanors; unlawful restraint, where the victim is a minor, is a second degree felony, as is false imprisonment in the same circumstance.

    Re: 'Scared Straight' Kid Beaten by Guards (none / 0) (#11)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 01:10:10 PM EST
    Eclaire: I think you are out of bound on the bracelet thing. If you don't want one, don't wear it... I like them, myself; they make it easier to see the hypocrites. BTW, I assume some of the $100 goes to actually help? In my town everyone has "We support our troops" displayed in front of their businesses, and never gave anything to support anyone.

    Re: 'Scared Straight' Kid Beaten by Guards (none / 0) (#13)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 01:13:57 PM EST
    I think it is very bad that you and other prosecutors accuse people of crimes, and then don’t even bother to provide specifics, thinking that you can poison the jury by your vague accusations.
    Who are you talking to anon. and about what? There's an "open" thread where you can rant in general about anything you want...

    Re: 'Scared Straight' Kid Beaten by Guards (none / 0) (#14)
    by Sailor on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 01:16:37 PM EST
    Only the dad was charged w/ misdemeanors, the guards were charged with felonies. The dad, IMHO, was misguided and won't do it again. Appropriate charges, probably result in counseling and community service. WRT the guards, with friends like these, who needs enemas!?

    Re: 'Scared Straight' Kid Beaten by Guards (none / 0) (#16)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 01:23:10 PM EST
    Perhaps they can shed light on what they really do to children in their custody during their trial. Wow we are a brutal society.

    Re: 'Scared Straight' Kid Beaten by Guards (none / 0) (#17)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 01:40:32 PM EST
    Thanks for the clarification, Sailor.

    Re: 'Scared Straight' Kid Beaten by Guards (none / 0) (#18)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 01:47:39 PM EST
    ppj's kind of place

    Re: 'Scared Straight' Kid Beaten by Guards (none / 0) (#19)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 01:49:38 PM EST
    Not a big surprise to read that the mother is separated from this jackass. She may have had doubts as to whether that was the right thing to do. Until now.

    Re: 'Scared Straight' Kid Beaten by Guards (none / 0) (#20)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 01:58:02 PM EST
    Poor kid! :(

    Re: 'Scared Straight' Kid Beaten by Guards (none / 0) (#12)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 02:17:36 PM EST
    Eclaire. You got picked on in school? You didn't get to go to school? You think (like my parents lol) that anyone in graduate school is a lazy person who can't handle the real world. Your doctor was a grad student once. So was your lawyer. So was Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, etc., etc.

    Re: 'Scared Straight' Kid Beaten by Guards (none / 0) (#21)
    by scarshapedstar on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 05:58:29 PM EST
    Scared psycho, is more like it. I'm sure this kind of "tough love" makes Santorum happy.

    Re: 'Scared Straight' Kid Beaten by Guards (none / 0) (#22)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 09:07:53 PM EST
    redstaters?

    Re: 'Scared Straight' Kid Beaten by Guards (none / 0) (#23)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Apr 02, 2005 at 11:05:21 AM EST
    Oh, so you don't want them to be charged with state crimes, but rather with federal crimes? How, I wonder, does this have anything to do with interstate commerce? I agree on the bracelet thing. It is for non-lawyers, and therefore silly. I disowned a relative for wearing one. There is no tolerance for this sort of thinking in my family. Either you go to law school and litigate or you are not welcome at thanksgiving.

    Re: 'Scared Straight' Kid Beaten by Guards (none / 0) (#24)
    by Che's Lounge on Sat Apr 02, 2005 at 03:12:27 PM EST
    Eclaire is definitely fixated on bracelets, but apparently never cared about POW/MIA's (Vietnam era bracelets) or cancer research (Lance Armstrong?). I guess we all support issues in our own way. Thank goodness we have Eclair to tell us which ways are the correct ways. Oh, and Those SILLY yellow ribbons! Why do you hate america Eclaire? Any other honorable actions you want us to stop? Oh, I forgot, were all supposed to hock our possesions and join a relief agency (probably only christian ones). It's the only true way to show you care. Rock and Troll!

    Re: 'Scared Straight' Kid Beaten by Guards (none / 0) (#25)
    by jondee on Sat Apr 02, 2005 at 03:32:04 PM EST
    Those bracelets accessorize so well with a pair of black,shiny boots.

    Re: 'Scared Straight' Kid Beaten by Guards (none / 0) (#26)
    by jondee on Sat Apr 02, 2005 at 04:19:56 PM EST
    Thanks for contributing more irrefutable logic to the discussion Ace. Now go out and play in the yard for a while - we'll call you when dinners ready.

    Re: 'Scared Straight' Kid Beaten by Guards (none / 0) (#27)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Apr 02, 2005 at 05:26:28 PM EST
    I can only imagine eclair with my creamy filling ... oh and if the blessed event should come Dr Ace would D&C my 'contribution'. Oh what a wonderful world, when trolls serve their master's agenda

    Re: 'Scared Straight' Kid Beaten by Guards (none / 0) (#28)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Apr 02, 2005 at 08:24:27 PM EST
    Eclaire is history. Please remember to put your urls in html format.

    Re: 'Scared Straight' Kid Beaten by Guards (none / 0) (#15)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Apr 02, 2005 at 08:25:21 PM EST
    What else would you charge them with ? You can search the PA code here. [link deleted, not in html format] My first response disappeared. Title 18 -- the criminal code -- is not at that site, so its completely useless.

    Re: 'Scared Straight' Kid Beaten by Guards (none / 0) (#29)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun Apr 03, 2005 at 07:46:02 AM EST
    Shuuuuuuuuure, Rocker. If only you were man enough!

    Re: 'Scared Straight' Kid Beaten by Guards (none / 0) (#9)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Apr 08, 2005 at 01:33:22 PM EST
    I think it is very bad that you and other prosecutors accuse people of crimes, and then don’t even bother to provide specifics, thinking that you can poison the jury by your vague accusations. Here, you provide one accusation, but you tell people something along the lines of “it should be more.” If you are not a DA, you are just someone who likes complaining without doing research or talking about the Patriot Act without reading it (which is unpardonable, in my book). I think you should try and think and research a bit more before you talk about a topic. Having your facts and law in order might make your arguments a tiny bit more compelling.

    Re: 'Scared Straight' Kid Beaten by Guards (none / 0) (#2)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Apr 08, 2005 at 01:33:52 PM EST
    What else would you charge them with ? You can search the PA code here. [link deleted, not in html format]

    'Scared Straight' Kid Beaten by Guards | 29 comments (29 topical)