March 15, 2008 (place cursor over text
to stop scrolling)
All Rise, Court is in Session.
The time is here.
The time is NOW!
One only has to ask, how many times have you been
sued or your partner been sued by these inmates.
It’s time turn the table and hold these inmates
accountable.
As an employee in the California Department of
Corrections, you are faced with many threats to you
and your family. One of the major threats facing you
is the fact that you can be assaulted and injured by
an inmate. This could happen on a daily basis.
One only has to look at the statistics to understand
the threats.
The reality is that 9.8 Correctional Staff are
assaulted each and every day in the California
Department of Corrections. That’s 9.8 Correctional
Staff being assaulted and injured by these convicted
felons. Only a few years ago, the average assault
rate was 3 assaults per day. In just a few short
years, the rate has increased to almost 10
Correctional Staff being assaulted each and every
day. What do you suppose the assault rate will be in
3 more years?
These investigations affect us in numerous ways. We
can be removed from our jobs, not allowed to
transfer, not to mention the great amount of stress
the investigation puts on us.
Both of these realities have to change. But the
question is who is going to change it? The answer is
easy. Correctional Employees like you and I,
together with the California Staff Assault Task
Force.
The California Staff Assault Task Force was
created in October of 2003. The Task Force was
formed by a group of concerned Correctional
Employees who banded together and formed a
non-profit, membership controlled, employee
organization to fight back. The Task Force was
established to provide Staff Assault Support, and to help support crime
victims within our community. The Task Force has
established a network of attorneys to fight for our
rights to hold the inmates accountable for their
staff assaults.
Far too many times, Correctional Employees are
forgotten about after an assault. The Task Force
has established a system where assault victims will
not be forgotten. This system ensures that each and
every assault victim has a voice. Once the assault
victim has been assisted, the inmate will then be
held accountable through the Civil Court process.
When an inmate assaults a Correctional Employee, the
Task Force will ensure that an asset check on
the inmate is performed to see if the inmate has any
assets. Many people believe that all inmates are
poor. This is the farthest from the truth. Many
inmates have assets that you and I don’t see. Once
the asset check is complete, based on the amount of
assets that are available, we will file a
lawsuit in the appropriate court. Once the lawsuit
is settled, all proceeds will go directly to the
injured staff, as it should be. Even
if the inmate has no outside assets, they have a
trust account at the institution. It may be small
potatoes to you and me, but ask an inmate if he
wants you to own his trust account. One has to
remember that it’s not about the money, it’s about
holding these convicted felons accountable for their
actions.
The California Staff Assault Task Force has
supporting members in every institution
saying enough is enough! Together, we will
not stand by and let another staff member be
assaulted without us taking action. It is important
to remember that we can all become the victim of a
violent inmate assault at any time. Whether you’re a Peace
Officer or Non-Custody staff, the next assault could be you.
The Task Force's main goals are to support
staff assault victims and to hold the offender accountable.
Please come and join our great membership
organization.
Robert Davis
Executive Director
California Staff Assault Task Force
