Florida officials: 43 children zapped by stun gun during prison tour
by Stephen C. Webster
Link to ArticleAccording to information released Saturday by the Florida Department of Corrections: During “Take Our Children to Work Day” events at three prison facilities, 43 children were hit with stun guns while others were exposed to tear gas.“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,” reported The Miami Herald. “An investigation is ongoing. “None of the children in any of the incidents required medical attention or was notably harmed, McNeil said. He said the children, who ranged in age from 5 to 17, were all children of prison officials.” “The jolt sent at least two of them sprawling to the floor, crying out in pain and clutching at agonizing burns on their arms. One child ended up in hospital,” reported the Mail Online. “It wasn’t intended to be malicious, but educational,” said 37-year-old prison officer Walter Schmidt, who was among those who were fired over the incident. “The big shock came when I got fired.”“In Schmidt’s April 27 letter of dismissal, Warden Duffie Harrison wrote Schmidt ‘engaged in inappropriate conduct while demonstrating the weapons, contraband and security arsenal to several kids during a special event at the institution. On April 24, 2009, you tased at least two kids to demonstrate the EID, which is in direct violation of procedure and placed the Department at risk of litigation,’” reported Washington County News. “One of the fired guards said the practice had occurred before, but so far prison officials have found no evidence that it has happened elsewhere,” noted the Herald. “McNeil noted that the stun guns used differ from ‘Tasers,’ which shoot electrified wires at their targets and deliver a far more powerful dose of amperage.” These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. If you have accounts on these bookmarking sites, you can post this story to share it with others.
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