By MAIL FOREIGN SERVICE
Last updated at 6:20 PM on 16th July 2009
In shocking CCTV footage of a prison riot, guards kicked and punched young inmates who were already in handcuffs.
Chaotic scenes were captured by surveillance video at the Juvenile Detention Centre in Jacksonville, Florida.
Mayhem broke out when an inmate broke the sprinkler system, causing a dorm to flood.
Minutes later, about 40 guards - some wearing riot gear - stormed the room. Most inmates can be seen putting their hands in the air and dropping to the floor, lying face down.
But as the footage shows, one juvenile, who sits on a bed alone without resisting, is slammed onto the floor by a warden.
One inmate is kicked as he lies on the ground and another is punched in the head after being handcuffed.
Two more inmates are kneed as they're walked out, despite already having been restrained.
The footage was released by Jacksonville Sheriff's Office which was called in to investigate the September 2008 incident.
Four correction officers have since been sacked amid claims they used unnecessary force.
The Sheriff described the actions of the prison guards as 'cheap shots' that were taken at the juveniles' expense.
'Inmates who were being escorted offered no resistance,' Sheriff John Rutherford said. 'It was completely unnecessary.'
'We had four officers who in their zeal over-reacted and used unnecessary force against some inmates who were handcuffed.
'I'm not going to tolerate that.'
After the chaos subsided, the inmates were seen lying motionless on the floor of another room. Each is handcuffed and some have their trousers around their knees.
Despite this, one officer is seen kicking an inmate, while another appears to step on his groin area.
'You see the tape. It's pretty clear,' Sheriff Rutherford said.
'Thankfully none of them were injured, but that doesn't remove the fact they were struck by officers.
'I'm glad the public sees these headlines because they understand that the men and women of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office are going to be professional, they're going to handle themselves accordingly.'
Minggu, 29 November 2009
Indian River Correctional Institute warden demoted, transferred
By Lamaur Stancil
Thursday, July 9, 2009
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Officials for the state Department of Corrections announced Thursday they demoted the warden of the Indian River Correctional Institute following their investigation of the use of electrical devices on students visiting the facility in April.
Ricky Dixon was demoted to assistant warden and transferred to the Okeechobee Correctional Institution on May 15, said Jo Ellyn Rackleff, spokeswoman for the department.
The department investigated incidents at correctional facilities in Indian River and Martin counties for Take Our Children To Work Day on April 23. In each case, the corrections officers asked the children if they wanted to feel the sensation of the electronic immobilization devices, state officials said. Several children felt the pulse from the device, they said.
The investigation was completed in May, but the state did not make details of the inquiry available until this week. The State Attorney’s Office reviewed the cases and determined no criminal charges will be filed.
At the Martin event, corrections officials asked the children to hold hands in a semicircle, with one touching one of the electrodes of the device, the report said. An officer activated the device and said the children described the feeling as a tingle, the report said.
Once the state became aware of the incidents, several officers and staff members were suspended while officials started the investigation.
None of the children were seriously hurt in the incidents, state officials said. The Inspector General’s report included photos of marks left on the arms and torsos of the students from the devices used on them at the Indian River event.
Dixon was out of town on April 23 for the students’ tour of the Indian River facility, according to the report. He told state officials he became aware of the incident that day but learned more details on May 2 and reported the incident to the state, the report said.
The Inspector General determined Dixon had committed negligence and failed to report the matter in a timely fashion. Dixon was replaced by Noel Mercer, a 25-year corrections veteran who previously worked in Gulf County.
Two officers at the Indian River prison resigned during the investigation: Maj. Seth Adams, a 19-year corrections veteran, and Lt. P.J. Weisner, an 11-year veteran.
“The exercise I participated in has been a common practice,” Weisner said in his resignation letter. “At no time did I believe that any of the students were in any risk.”
The department fired Sgt. Charmaine Davis, who had worked at the Indian River facility for six years. Davis appealed but settled her complaint when the state allowed to submit her resignation rather than being fired, state officials said.
State officials also fired former Lt. Russell Bourgault at the Martin facility in Indiantown. He is scheduled for an appeal hearing at 9 a.m. Friday.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Officials for the state Department of Corrections announced Thursday they demoted the warden of the Indian River Correctional Institute following their investigation of the use of electrical devices on students visiting the facility in April.
Ricky Dixon was demoted to assistant warden and transferred to the Okeechobee Correctional Institution on May 15, said Jo Ellyn Rackleff, spokeswoman for the department.
The department investigated incidents at correctional facilities in Indian River and Martin counties for Take Our Children To Work Day on April 23. In each case, the corrections officers asked the children if they wanted to feel the sensation of the electronic immobilization devices, state officials said. Several children felt the pulse from the device, they said.
The investigation was completed in May, but the state did not make details of the inquiry available until this week. The State Attorney’s Office reviewed the cases and determined no criminal charges will be filed.
At the Martin event, corrections officials asked the children to hold hands in a semicircle, with one touching one of the electrodes of the device, the report said. An officer activated the device and said the children described the feeling as a tingle, the report said.
Once the state became aware of the incidents, several officers and staff members were suspended while officials started the investigation.
None of the children were seriously hurt in the incidents, state officials said. The Inspector General’s report included photos of marks left on the arms and torsos of the students from the devices used on them at the Indian River event.
Dixon was out of town on April 23 for the students’ tour of the Indian River facility, according to the report. He told state officials he became aware of the incident that day but learned more details on May 2 and reported the incident to the state, the report said.
The Inspector General determined Dixon had committed negligence and failed to report the matter in a timely fashion. Dixon was replaced by Noel Mercer, a 25-year corrections veteran who previously worked in Gulf County.
Two officers at the Indian River prison resigned during the investigation: Maj. Seth Adams, a 19-year corrections veteran, and Lt. P.J. Weisner, an 11-year veteran.
“The exercise I participated in has been a common practice,” Weisner said in his resignation letter. “At no time did I believe that any of the students were in any risk.”
The department fired Sgt. Charmaine Davis, who had worked at the Indian River facility for six years. Davis appealed but settled her complaint when the state allowed to submit her resignation rather than being fired, state officials said.
State officials also fired former Lt. Russell Bourgault at the Martin facility in Indiantown. He is scheduled for an appeal hearing at 9 a.m. Friday.
4 hospitalized after being stung by bees at prison
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — South Florida officials say four people have been hospitalized after being stung by bees inside a women's prison.
At least eight others, including guards and inmates, were treated Wednesday evening after being stung at the Broward Correctional Institution.
Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue spokesman Mike Jachles says an inmate reportedly stepped on a nest in a recreation yard and caused the hive to attack.
Jachles said it was unclear what type of bees attacked the prison.
At least eight others, including guards and inmates, were treated Wednesday evening after being stung at the Broward Correctional Institution.
Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue spokesman Mike Jachles says an inmate reportedly stepped on a nest in a recreation yard and caused the hive to attack.
Jachles said it was unclear what type of bees attacked the prison.
Jumat, 27 November 2009
Florida corrections officer gets 3 years for assault
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — A former Florida Department of Corrections officer has been sentenced to three years in federal prison after being convicted on a civil rights charge relating to assaulting an inmate.
Federal officials say Paul Tillis was convicted by a jury on Jan. 16 of violating the civil rights of an inmate at Florida State Prison near Starke by pouring a bottle of scalding water on the inmate's chest. The evidence also shows Tillis did not get medical treatment for the inmate who had second-degree burns to his chest.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Loretta King says the Department of Justice will prosecute corrections officers who commit acts of cruelty.
Federal officials say Paul Tillis was convicted by a jury on Jan. 16 of violating the civil rights of an inmate at Florida State Prison near Starke by pouring a bottle of scalding water on the inmate's chest. The evidence also shows Tillis did not get medical treatment for the inmate who had second-degree burns to his chest.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Loretta King says the Department of Justice will prosecute corrections officers who commit acts of cruelty.
Longtime Lawman Calls For Prison Reform
By Jeff Hess @ July 9, 2009 1:37 AM Permalink | Comments (1)
A little bit of religion could help solve Florida's prison system crisis.
A group called smart justice wants to shake up our current prison system.
A longtime sheriff, prosecutor and judge Allison DeFoor leads the group. He said what we are doing is not working.
"After 30 years of being in the justice system I have seen everything that doesn't work and it is most of what we are doing," DeFoor said.
He says six things do work. First, teaching prisoners belief in something higher than themselves.
"Substance abuse training, literacy training, turning 28 years old, which is a statistical fluke, getting married and having a job," He said prison that focus on these goals have much low recidivism rates and keep the community safer.
He said these programs have proven results and lead to safer communities while keeping the prison system affordable.
"We will bankrupt the state of Florida if we stay on the road we are on. And it doesn't work," DeFoor said.
The state is planning nearly 20 new prisons with a 2-billion dollar price tag, and 500-million in operating costs. He said that cannot continue and we will be forced to implement major changes to stop wasting money on the current system.
A little bit of religion could help solve Florida's prison system crisis.
A group called smart justice wants to shake up our current prison system.
A longtime sheriff, prosecutor and judge Allison DeFoor leads the group. He said what we are doing is not working.
"After 30 years of being in the justice system I have seen everything that doesn't work and it is most of what we are doing," DeFoor said.
He says six things do work. First, teaching prisoners belief in something higher than themselves.
"Substance abuse training, literacy training, turning 28 years old, which is a statistical fluke, getting married and having a job," He said prison that focus on these goals have much low recidivism rates and keep the community safer.
He said these programs have proven results and lead to safer communities while keeping the prison system affordable.
"We will bankrupt the state of Florida if we stay on the road we are on. And it doesn't work," DeFoor said.
The state is planning nearly 20 new prisons with a 2-billion dollar price tag, and 500-million in operating costs. He said that cannot continue and we will be forced to implement major changes to stop wasting money on the current system.
Rabu, 25 November 2009
Former Death Row prisoner to speak at Vatican conference
The campaign to end the death penalty around the world, is the theme of a study conference in Rome, tomorrow, at the Pontifical Urban University. The initiative is being organized by the students of 'Omnes Gentes' of the Pontifical Urban University.
'The death penalty in the world today: the struggle for abolition, for a new culture of life' will be the subject of the talk given by Dr Charles Santoro, a member of the group 'No to the Death Penalty' of the Community of Sant'Egidio. This will be followed by Joaquin José Martinez, a former death-row prisoner in Florida, released in 2001, who will present 'A testimony from death row'.
The International Day 'Cities for Life - Cities Against the Death Penalty' recalls the first anniversary of the abolition of capital punishment from a European state, by the Grand Duchy of Tuscany in 1786. The approval, in the last two years, of two resolutions for a universal moratorium on capital punishment in the General Assembly of the United Nations confirm a change in sentiment in the world to a new and higher threshold, to respect for human rights.
According to Amnesty International's report: 'Death Sentences and Executions in 2008,' between January and December last year, at least 2,390 people in 25 countries were put to death and at least 8,864 death sentence have been issued in 52 countries. The student association Omnes Gentes (OG) is an organization that represents all students of the Pontifical Urban University. During the year, the OG organizes several initiatives for the comparison and enrichment of students, thanks to the great variety of traditions and cultures present in the university.
Source(www.indcatholicnews.com)
Senin, 23 November 2009
WestConn speaker 'scared to die for a crime I did not commit'
By Erik Ofgang, CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Published: 07:11 p.m., Monday, November 23, 2009
Juan Roberto Melendez didn't understand what was going when police officers put him in handcuffs.
It was May 2, 1984, and Melendez was working at a Pennsylvania farm when police cars drove up suddenly and pulled him out of a crowd.
A Florida man named Delbert Baker had been brutally murdered, and Melendez -- who couldn't read or speak English -- was being charged with the crime. He'd spend the next 17 years and eight months of his life on death row before his innocence was proven.
Melendez shared his story Wednesday night at Western Connecticut State University in a lecture sponsored by the University's Division of Justice and Law Administration and the Connecticut Network to Abolish the Death Penalty.
There was no physical evidence linking Melendez to the murder, but he was implicated by a police informant. During his trial, four witnesses testified that the informant had a personal grudge against Melendez.
The trial began on a Monday by Thursday he was convicted. On Friday he was sentenced to death, "and the judge complained it was taking too long," Melendez said.
Placed on death row, Melendez was full of fear and hatred. "I was very scared to die for a crime I did not commit."
And he was angry. Angry at the system that had wrongly convicted him, angry at the prosecutor, angry at his defense attorney who had promised him everything would be OK, and angry at the guards who kept him locked up.
Melendez moved beyond his hate because of the friendship of other death row prisoners. "They taught this Puerto Rican how to read, how to write, how to speak English, how to let hate and anger go," he said.
People in the WestConn audience were visibly moved by Melendez's story. "I was almost in tears just hearing this," said Serwah Adarkwa, 21, a senior marketing major.
Before the lecture Adarkwa hadn't thought about the issue much, but she was "probably all for the death penalty," she said. But after hearing Melendez talk, she realized "there are a number of innocent people on (death row).
She now thinks capital punishment should be abolished.
Kelly Light, 20, a junior justice and law major, was impressed with how Melendez took a bad situation and made something positive come from it. "I think it's really important what he was saying about using his anger in a positive way," she said.
After three unsuccessful appeals before the Florida Supreme Court, Melendez's lawyers tried a another appeal. One of his lawyers found a man's taped confession to the killing that Melendez's original defense lawyer had overlooked.
With further research, Melendez's lawyers found the prosecuting attorney had illegally withheld a transcript that corroborated the taped confession.
Additionally, there was physical evidence and further testimony that showed Baker (the man Melendez was accused of killing) had actually been murdered by the police informant who had implicated Melendez.
Melendez won a new trial, but in light of the newly discovered evidence the state dropped the charges against him.
The original prosecuting attorney was prevented from handling future homicide cases because of his mismanagement of the Melendez trial.
After 17 years, eight months and one day, Melendez was freed.
"I wasn't saved by the system. I was saved in spite of the system," he said.
Since then he has toured the country and the world, sharing his story in an effort to reform the legal system and abolish the death penalty.
Early this year the Connecticut General Assembly voted to end it, but Gov. M. Jodi Rell vetoed the legislation.
Melendez said he hoped efforts to the end death sentence in Connecticut will continue. "You can always release an innocent man from prison," he said, "but you can never release a man from death."
Published: 07:11 p.m., Monday, November 23, 2009
Juan Roberto Melendez didn't understand what was going when police officers put him in handcuffs.
It was May 2, 1984, and Melendez was working at a Pennsylvania farm when police cars drove up suddenly and pulled him out of a crowd.
A Florida man named Delbert Baker had been brutally murdered, and Melendez -- who couldn't read or speak English -- was being charged with the crime. He'd spend the next 17 years and eight months of his life on death row before his innocence was proven.
Melendez shared his story Wednesday night at Western Connecticut State University in a lecture sponsored by the University's Division of Justice and Law Administration and the Connecticut Network to Abolish the Death Penalty.
There was no physical evidence linking Melendez to the murder, but he was implicated by a police informant. During his trial, four witnesses testified that the informant had a personal grudge against Melendez.
The trial began on a Monday by Thursday he was convicted. On Friday he was sentenced to death, "and the judge complained it was taking too long," Melendez said.
Placed on death row, Melendez was full of fear and hatred. "I was very scared to die for a crime I did not commit."
And he was angry. Angry at the system that had wrongly convicted him, angry at the prosecutor, angry at his defense attorney who had promised him everything would be OK, and angry at the guards who kept him locked up.
Melendez moved beyond his hate because of the friendship of other death row prisoners. "They taught this Puerto Rican how to read, how to write, how to speak English, how to let hate and anger go," he said.
People in the WestConn audience were visibly moved by Melendez's story. "I was almost in tears just hearing this," said Serwah Adarkwa, 21, a senior marketing major.
Before the lecture Adarkwa hadn't thought about the issue much, but she was "probably all for the death penalty," she said. But after hearing Melendez talk, she realized "there are a number of innocent people on (death row).
She now thinks capital punishment should be abolished.
Kelly Light, 20, a junior justice and law major, was impressed with how Melendez took a bad situation and made something positive come from it. "I think it's really important what he was saying about using his anger in a positive way," she said.
After three unsuccessful appeals before the Florida Supreme Court, Melendez's lawyers tried a another appeal. One of his lawyers found a man's taped confession to the killing that Melendez's original defense lawyer had overlooked.
With further research, Melendez's lawyers found the prosecuting attorney had illegally withheld a transcript that corroborated the taped confession.
Additionally, there was physical evidence and further testimony that showed Baker (the man Melendez was accused of killing) had actually been murdered by the police informant who had implicated Melendez.
Melendez won a new trial, but in light of the newly discovered evidence the state dropped the charges against him.
The original prosecuting attorney was prevented from handling future homicide cases because of his mismanagement of the Melendez trial.
After 17 years, eight months and one day, Melendez was freed.
"I wasn't saved by the system. I was saved in spite of the system," he said.
Since then he has toured the country and the world, sharing his story in an effort to reform the legal system and abolish the death penalty.
Early this year the Connecticut General Assembly voted to end it, but Gov. M. Jodi Rell vetoed the legislation.
Melendez said he hoped efforts to the end death sentence in Connecticut will continue. "You can always release an innocent man from prison," he said, "but you can never release a man from death."
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