home

43 Kids StunGunned at Prison Guards "Take Your Kid" to School Day

By Jeralyn, Section Misconduct
Posted on Sat May 16, 2009 at 07:01:00 AM EST
Tags: (all tags)
Share This: Digg! StumbleUpon del.icio.us reddit reddit

An Only in America story:

A total of 43 children were directly and indirectly shocked by electric stun guns during simultaneous ''Take Your Sons and Daughters to Work Day'' events gone wrong at three state prisons, according to new information provided Friday by the Florida Department of Corrections. Also, a group of kids was exposed to tear gas during a demonstration at another lockup.

Three prison guards have been fired, two have resigned and 16 more employees -- from corrections officers to a warden -- will be disciplined due to the incidents that unfolded April 23, said DOC Secretary Walt McNeil. An investigation is ongoing.

Hat tip to Southern District of Florida blog.

< Torture Photos Previously Released in 2006 | Rove Finishes Interview Over U.S. Attorneys' Firings >

  • The Online Magazine with Liberal coverage of crime-related political and injustice news

  • Contribute To TalkLeft


    • Display: Sort:
    43 Kids StunGunned at Prison Guards "Take Your Kid" to School Day | 16 comments (16 topical)

    Readers Must Login or Create an Account to Comment

    This is Florida (5.00 / 1) (#1)
    by Jen M on Sat May 16, 2009 at 03:12:05 AM EST
    for you.

    They taser kids and handcuff small children who are misbehaving in schools. Why not as a demonstration on take your kids to work day?

    I make fun of the regimented way they handle kids at our institute on take your kids to work day but at least it keeps them away from the labs and doing fun stuff like egg drops, Diet coke and menthos, coloring on paper lab coats and being 'yelled' at during 'pt' by the sargeant major.

    I would have never dreamed (none / 0) (#5)
    by Militarytracy on Sat May 16, 2009 at 08:58:43 AM EST
    of saying anything like this about Florida prior to sharing state borders with Florida, but this is Florida for ya.  I don't understand it either.  They use corporal punishment in the schools here in Bama too, as if it has been shown in any study of human behavior to actually work.  My only guess is that the authority figures around here enjoy it.

    Parent
    Now, MTracy. You just don't get it. (5.00 / 2) (#13)
    by Cream City on Sat May 16, 2009 at 04:12:12 PM EST
    Clearly, inflicting corporal punishment works -- for the authority figures.

    Parent
    Even before the question.... (5.00 / 2) (#2)
    by Jerrymcl89 on Sat May 16, 2009 at 06:40:18 AM EST
    ... of whether it's a good idea to demonstrate stun guns and tear gas, I think it should have occurred to somebody that prison guard is not a job that should feature a "Take your child to work day".

    That thought kind of gets lost (none / 0) (#3)
    by nycstray on Sat May 16, 2009 at 06:43:50 AM EST
    when you're busy trying to wrap your head around the fact that this happened, and at more than one facility! Oy.

    Parent
    Whats Great About This (5.00 / 1) (#4)
    by john horse on Sat May 16, 2009 at 08:16:31 AM EST
    is, that as the children of DOC employees, these children are the most likely to grow up and become prison guards. (sarcasm alert)  

    So how do you follow up on this.  How about on next year's "take your kids to work" day doing full body cavity searches?  

    I would say that this damages the reputation of the Florida DOC, but a reputation can only be damaged if there is any reputation left to damage.

    What happened to these correctional (5.00 / 3) (#7)
    by oculus on Sat May 16, 2009 at 09:44:26 AM EST
    personnel is what should have happened to the Alaska state trooper who tasered his stepson.

    The kids may as well get used to it.... (none / 0) (#6)
    by kdog on Sat May 16, 2009 at 09:06:29 AM EST
    at the rate the police state is expanding, the more experience with stun guns and tear gas you have the better off you'll be.  

    These kids have gained valuable tactical experience with the gadgetry of tyranny....maybe we should make it part of the mandated public school curriculum.  We are supposed to be preparing them for the real world after all.

    Start em Young (none / 0) (#8)
    by SOS on Sat May 16, 2009 at 11:38:23 AM EST
    http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/14/us/14explorers.html?_r=1&hp

    Creeping Facism (none / 0) (#9)
    by SOS on Sat May 16, 2009 at 11:42:43 AM EST
    Isn't it obvious?

    Title (none / 0) (#10)
    by joanneleon on Sat May 16, 2009 at 12:33:24 PM EST
    I think you meant "Take Your Kid" to Work Day

    Is it just me? (none / 0) (#11)
    by jondee on Sat May 16, 2009 at 02:20:59 PM EST
    Or, do Florida and Texas seem to be constantly ahead of the pack in the race to return to some grotesque God's Lil Acre - Faulknerian backwater version of America?

    Parent
    Yeh, the error in the title (none / 0) (#14)
    by Cream City on Sat May 16, 2009 at 04:14:21 PM EST
    went past me the first time.  Then, something told me to look again . . . and think it through. . . .

    Parent
    Of course this is Florida. (none / 0) (#12)
    by AX10 on Sat May 16, 2009 at 03:10:32 PM EST
    If not, it would be Texas.

    The Brown Shirts Against America are learning about these weapons and tactics first hand.
    http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/14/us/14explorers.html?_r=1&hp

    Crazy stuff, for sure. (none / 0) (#16)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Sun May 17, 2009 at 08:20:13 AM EST
    Weird how people are. I have an electric fence around part of my property to keep the critters from eating the stuff I grow, and every kid and most adults who visit my place want to touch the fence to see what it feels like.

    Its only 5000 volts, not 50,000 like these stun guns are, so it doesn't knock you down or anything, but it sure does wake you up.

    Attraction to, or curiosity about, dangerous and/or verboten things seems to be part of our genetic makeup.

    I wonder why that is?

    No pain, no gain. (none / 0) (#17)
    by Jen M on Sun May 17, 2009 at 08:45:38 AM EST
    It's not just a slogan, it's genetically encoded!

    Parent
    43 Kids StunGunned at Prison Guards "Take Your Kid" to School Day | 16 comments (16 topical)

    Readers Must Login or Create an Account to Comment