Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform > Public Sector Gulags

Teen?s death prompts calls to shut boot camp

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Deborah:
Suing the Drill Instructors


The parents of a teenager who died after a beating at a juvenile boot camp in Panama City are asking a federal judge to let them sue the deputies responsible for that beating.

Fourteen-year-old Martin Lee Anderson died in January, just one day after being admitted to the Bay County Boot Camp.

Anderson?s ordeal was captured on videotape and that tape the centerpiece of a $40 million lawsuit filed by Anderson?s parents.

Attorney Ben Crump says they only wanted to sue the Sheriff?s office and the Department of Juvenile Justice, but a recent ruling by a federal judge forced them to include the seven deputies who can be seen on the videotape.

Crump is the attorney for Anderson's parents, "It makes it more complicated. We had sought to keep it very simple and straightforward. If a jury wants to believe what happened on this videotape was wrong, then they are holding the Sheriff?s Department and the Department of Juvenile Justice responsible."

He went on to say, "And we didn?t want to have it where we had individual deputies having to point fingers at the sheriff and the sheriff having to point fingers at the deputies. We were hoping to avoid all of that.?

The state attorney from Hillsborough County is also conducting an investigation into Anderson?s death and the deputies could end up facing criminal charges, but it will be several weeks before the inquiry is complete.
http://www.wjhg.com/home/headlines/4501201.html

Deborah:
Boot camp ex-guards, nurse charged in boy's death
POSTED: 11:49 a.m. EST, November 28, 2006
Story Highlights
? 7 ex-boot camp guards and a nurse were charged with aggravated manslaughter
? Martin Lee Anderson, 14, collapsed and died after being roughed up by guards
?The incident involving the teen was captured on videotape
? A special prosecutor was called in to investigate

PENSACOLA, Florida (AP) -- Seven former guards and a nurse at a military-style boot camp for juvenile offenders were charged with aggravated manslaughter in the death of a teenage boy whose rough handling by the guards was videotaped, a special prosecutor said Tuesday.

The announcement by Hillsborough County State Attorney Mark Ober comes almost 11 months after Martin Lee Anderson, 14, collapsed in the exercise yard at the Bay County sheriff's camp in Panama City.

Guards said he was uncooperative and refused to continue participating in exercises. He died early January 6 in Pensacola.

Benjamin Crump, the attorney for Anderson's parents, was in Panama City with the family Tuesday and did not immediately return a call for comment.

The boy's death sparked protests that led to the elimination of the military-style boot camp system and the resignation of the state's top law enforcement officer. His family had also demanded that the guards be charged in the boy's death.

If convicted, the former guards and the nurse who watched the altercation could face up to 30 years in prison. (Watch how a videotape led to charges )

Bob Pell, an attorney who represents former guard Joseph Walsh II, said he learned of the decision to charge his client from The Associated Press.

"I didn't anticipate it. I was hoping cooler heads would prevail, but we will deal with this as it comes down. We understood the political pressure that was brought to bear," he said.

An initial autopsy by medical examiner Dr. Charles Siebert found Anderson died of complications of sickle cell trait, a usually benign blood disorder.

Florida Gov. Jeb Bush appointed Ober in February to investigate the death after the state attorney for Bay County asked to be removed from the case citing close ties with local law enforcement.

Ober ordered a second autopsy by Dr. Vernard Adams, the medical examiner for Hillsborough County. Adams determined Anderson's death was caused by suffocation due to the actions of the guards.

He said the guards' hands blocked the boy's mouth, and the "forced inhalation of ammonia fumes" caused his vocal cords to spasm, blocking his upper airway.

The guards had said in an incident report that they used ammonia capsules five times on Anderson to gain his cooperation.

Siebert has consistently stood by his findings.

"We'll obviously follow the developments of this case closely and hope at the end of the day that justice will be served," Bush said Tuesday. "We also hope that once the process is completed that Martin Lee Anderson's family will have the answers to the questions that they legitimately have."

Anderson's family has sued the state Department of Juvenile Justice, which oversaw the boot camp system, and the Bay County Sheriff's Office, which ran the camp, seeking more than $40 million in damages.

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/11/28/bootc ... index.html

Nihilanthic:
Birds of a feather flock together, huh?

Washed up cops/military and dirty politicians and beaurocrats... oh how I hope they get such a warm spot in hell when this all comes to an end.

At any rate, I saved the florida times-union paper with on the front page saying they're being charged with the death of that kid. I want to fuckin' FRAME THAT  :rofl:

But yeah, it is a shame, isn't it? Someone has to die before anything happens, even though any idiot when asked about a bootcamp knows its meant to be a place where you're hurt, terrified, humiliated, and 'broken down', and any competent psychologist (or anyone with common sense) knows that wont fix or treat anything... well, except washed up military/cops, dirty politicians and beaurocrats.

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