Taking Kids to Work Sparks Lawsuit, as Fla. Jail Guards Reportedly Stun Several
Updated: At least one parent of a Florida schoolchild has sued over “Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day,” after guards at three separate state prisons zapped visiting children with electronic stun guns on April 24 to demonstrate how they worked.
The Florida Department of Corrections has acknowledged the use of the 50,000-volt electronic immobilization devices in apparently unrelated incidents at three prisons, reports the St. Petersburg Times. A guard at one prison was fired last week, and 10 other prison employees have been put on paid leave while the incidents are investigated.
“There are very clear rules about when, where and who these devices are to be used on, and all officers are clearly trained in this. So, we don’t yet know how this could have happened at three facilities on the same day,” says spokeswoman Gretl Plessinger.
The known lawsuit was filed by the father of a 12-year-old girl whose lawyer says she suffered abrasions and trauma requiring medical treatment after she was allegedly knocked to the ground by the powerful jolt. Her attorney, Matthew Foster, says the girl’s mother is a prison employee and gave permission for the demonstration, but the child’s father did not.
As discussed in a subsequent ABAJournal.com post, the Department of Corrections now says 43 children were shocked, directly or indirectly, and 21 prison workers were disciplined over such incidents.
Updated on May 15 to include link to subsequent ABAJournal.com coverage.
