Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day ordinarily is pretty low-key. Kids play on their parents' computers, go to lunch and maybe do a small project on their own. That was too tame at some of Florida's prisons. Kids visiting their parents at three of the state's finer correctional facilities were zapped with handheld stun guns. Just another day at work with those fun-loving prison guards.
This would get a few laughs as a gag in a bad movie, but it's not so funny in real life. Too often stun guns are being used in demonstrations on willing politicians, reporters and now kids. They can cause serious injury, and they should not be treated as entertainment props. At least one of the children involved at one prison was injured. What if some of these children had undisclosed medical issues and the results were far more serious?
These incidents shine a spotlight on the judgment of corrections officials at several levels. Many of the prison officers involved have years of experience and should know better. And while Department of Corrections administrators deserve credit for investigating and suspending 10 employees, the ultimate outcome of the review will be another indication of whether the emphasis is on changing a culture or moving past an embarrassing episode.
It might be common practice to use stun guns to subdue inmates in dangerous situations. But their use should never become so routine that prison guards think nothing of using the devices on visiting children.
http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/editori ... 998751.ece
I would point out that the journalist appears a little harsh...but that's stating the obvious...
