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Amy Goodman

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Ohio Lawmakers Demand Inquiry into Prison Taser Abuses

HeadlineDec 20, 2017

In Ohio, state lawmakers are demanding accountability for prison guards who were filmed repeatedly using Taser weapons to electrocute at least 80 prisoners at Ohio’s Franklin County jail. In videos filmed between 2008 and 2010 and obtained by Reuters, Sergeant Mychal Turner and his deputies are seen repeatedly tasering prisoners—including a mentally ill man who refused an order to stand, a shirtless man who refused to remove jewelry and a handcuffed prisoner who was shocked five times for refusing to sit on a bench. A warning to listeners and viewers: This footage is disturbing.

Prisoners: [screaming]

The videos prompted Ohio’s Franklin County to settle a lawsuit that accused guards of “sadistic” and unconstitutional Taser use beginning in 2008. But Reuters reports neither Turner nor any deputies were disciplined over the incidents—and that Turner has since been promoted to the rank of major and is now commander of the larger of the jail’s two main facilities. Among those demanding accountability is Ohio Democratic state Senator Charleta Tavares.

Sen. Charleta Tavares: “I think any time a stun gun is used inappropriate, particularly in the video, where it looks as though it is just used over and over, and it’s more like a prod that people would use on animals. That is criminal, in my opinion.”

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