Callous and Cruel: Use of Force Against Inmates with Mental Disabilities in US Jails and Prisons
"This 127-page report details incidents in which correctional staff have deluged prisoners with painful chemical sprays, shocked them with powerful electric stun weapons, and strapped them for days in restraining chairs or beds. Staff have broken prisoners’ jaws, noses, ribs; left them with lacerations requiring stitches, second-degree burns, deep bruises, and damaged internal organs. In some cases, the force used has led to their death."

Families left ‘powerless’ by Ontario's Mental Health Act http://t.co/I5om65PfNU via @torontostar
— Crim Library UTL (@CrimLib) August 1, 2014

Related Articles:

• Prison Guards Not Trained To Deal With Severely Mentally Ill: Union Head
• Eighty Mentally Ill U.S. Prisoners Have Died Since 2003

Cue RoboCop Jokes: Meet South Korea’s New Robot Prison Guards

Last November, South Korea unveiled plans to test out robot prison guards intended to monitor inmates for suicidal and violent behavior.

Now Reuters reports that South Korea has started testing the machines.

"By using the 3D depth camera, it will detect every detail of actions happening inside through a window. So, when there is an unusual behaviour, it's going to analyse it and report the problem to the control system. Therefore, correctional officers will run and arrive at the scene in time,” Lee Baik-Chul, chairman of the Asian Forum for Corrections, told Reuters.

Read on...

Safety Net

In case you were wondering where the axe is falling first:

People who get California IOUs:

Grants to aged, blind or disabled persons
People needing temporary assistance for basic family needs
People in drug prevention, treatment, and recovery services
Persons with developmental disabilities
People in mental health treatment
Small Business Vendors

Read on...

Nice to see the prison guards are still getting paid in cash. Tom