Officer assaulted in riot at youth prison

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Youth riot: Law enforcement officers prepare to go into the Eastman Youth Development Facility Sunday night. (Photo by Chuck Eckles)

Officer assaulted in riot at youth prison

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Staff Writer

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Wednesday, February 2. 2011

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On Sunday night (January 30, 2011) at approximately 7:35 p.m., Dodge County law enforcement officers responded to a call for assistance from juvenile correctional officers at the Eastman Youth Development Facility (YDF).

Dodge County Sheriff’s deputies and Eastman Police officers arrived to find that a juvenile correctional officer had been assaulted by several inmates and that there were over sixty (60) inmates in multiple pods in two (2) dormitories who would not return to their cells.

Inmates also set several small fires of bed linen and trash in at least one (1) dorm.

Dodge County Sheriff Jeff Hinson and Eastman Police Chief Becky Sheffield recalled additional off duty personnel to respond. Law enforcement officers from the Wilcox County Sheriff’s Office, along with the Abbeville Police and Middle Georgia College Police Department, also responded to assist. The Eastman Fire Department and the Dodge County Emergency Medical Service (EMS) also responded.

Law enforcement officers, along with juvenile correctional officers entered the dormitories and physically returned the inmates to their cells. All of the inmates were returned to the cells by 9:00 p.m. at which time law enforcement officers left the facility. There were no additional injuries.

The Eastman YDF is run by the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) and is the only Level 5 Security facility in the state for juvenile offenders. Law enforcement agencies responded to a riot and escape at the same facility back in May of 2010.

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#1 Cherokee-Just my opinion on 02/02/11 at 02:41 PM [Reply]

Can someone tell me what a level 5 facility is? I am new to the area and would like to know what is going around me.

I don't think SOME of these young people are responsible for their action when it come to GOING INTO the system. SOME parents are responsible for their children action.

When I was growing up we didnot have this happening and why because our parents were strong and had a way of putting things in order when a child did wrong they were the JDC at all times we didnot know anywhere to go but our house which was named the JDC of our family.

Parents needs to wake up and become parents because our kids are our future generations.

These kids are now at the adult age in this facility and if they are not obeying the mess they are in then this shows they probably had no good parenting in the home.

They are absoultely wrong for causing a riot that caused this officer to get hurt. Now looks like some if not all is going to be charged for assaulting him.

Since this is the only level 5 in the state then I assume that kids come from all over the state when they become of the adult age. They are probably the ones heading off to the adult prision these are the ones that comes back and make their life a revolving door(in and out)the system.

I pray that the parents out there take heed as to what on going on in your life and get together if they have kids in the home. Today many households have one parent households but it is no excuse for them not to step up to the bat and do what they should do to be their kids mother and the father. If they can't be a parent then they should not have them maybe in the future SOME parents will be charged for their mess they are making in Society.

#2 TLD44 on 02/03/11 at 04:22 PM [Reply]

These children are dangerous and are introduced to more drugs inside than they can handle. The department of Juvenile Justice has not been the same since boot camp was taken away. The system has allowed the children to rule the facilities. Most of the people that work in these facilities are scare of the children there and they try to be a friend to them by bringing the drugs into the facilities. Atlanta is scare of the parents and lawsuits. Not all parents, but most of them have given up the rights because they are scare of their own children. Milledgeville YDC had a level 4. The system need to place these children by level to separate them. The classification and placement should be by there crime, but it is not. They put those children in where they fit. The system thinks that they are helping those children, but they are not. Children 17 and up who have killed should be in prison. Those children need structure and they need to work while they are in these facilities. They should be painting, cleaning, cutting the grass, you know learning how to work to live. Isn't that's what we do daily to survive outside. Well the prisoner in DOC does it every daily. What make these so call children get away with murder? What happen to training a child? Those children in those YDCs have too much time on their hands. You know that although the children are required to go to school, they can refuse not to go and that is when work related programs such as the one's listed above should come into play. Remember when boot camp was in the system? That is the same structure that these children need today. Atlanta needs to work harder with the new Governor to get boot camp back. I believe that a lot of this will help our children become a better person. Instead, The Department of Juvenile Justice wants you to continue on for a hour if need to be to attempt to talk the child(ren) down. Did that work with their parent(s) or the judge who tried to get the children another chance? No, it did not. So many children are far out of control by the time they are about 6 years old that by the time they are adolescences, they do not hear or believe nothing or nobody, but they want you to talk for an hour if need to be. I notice that the head people sit in high places for a pay check, but you cannot get one to go work in the detention officers place because they would not last a day. I think it would be best if the GBIs would just investigate DJJ altogether.

#3 kenmoresp on 02/03/11 at 04:38 PM [Reply]

What a load of crap. How are you going to try and place all the blame for the crimes that these young people do on the parents? Why are you not placing the blame on the CRIMINALS instead of others around them? It matters not if there is one parent, two parents or 73 parents in a home, unless the kids are tied to them 24 hours a day 7 days a week, which by the way is IMPOSSIBLE, the kids are still responsible for their actions. This liberal, blame some one else dribble that you are spewing is typical of most the crap that you post on here. The lack of parents did not make the kids commit their criminal acts....the KIDS chose to do it. There are plenty of kids in this world that have NO parental influence in their life yet they are not criminals, they actually grow up to be some of the best people you can find. And on the same token, there are plenty of kids that are showered with all kinds of attention and the parents do everything in their power to raise the kids right and still the kids turn out to be trouble. IT IS THE KID'S FAULT...they make their decision to commit crimes.

People like you sicken me always trying to blame others for actions that a person chooses to do. For the love of God...(or whatever force you believe controls the universe)...hold people accountable for their own actions. Do not try to make excuses for them. If the little punks decide to commit a crime, then they should be punished for their actions, not tell them oh, it's OK, if so and so had given you more attention I know you would be a better person. That is a load of crap. Maybe you need to get in touch with reality, you seem to be sorely lacking.

#3.1 OutsiderLookingIn on 02/04/11 at 10:17 AM [Reply]

Wow, an adult that has a clue on life. You raise the kids the best you can. Like a bird leaving the nest. If it flys, bye, you are own your own. No more Mama what do I do. You are grown up now. Yes, we are here to help, but the child knows what to do.If you say yes to going to school, they say na dont want to. What are you going to do? I know hold a gun to their head to make them stay! Yea like to see that happen. We don't teach them to steel, kill, lol at the law etc... Parents do you best and pray that the kids will choose the correct path in life. May GOD bless all of you.

#4 Anonymous on 02/04/11 at 12:44 PM [Reply]

A female staff member was severely beaten Tuesday morning. She had a broken jaw and head injuries and was in real bad shape yesterday afternoon. But I guess that was just a disturbance or normal practice for the DJJ folks in the front office and Atlanta.

#5 Treadmill Traci on 04/18/11 at 01:54 PM [Reply]

I feel badly for the kids in these facilities. Most of them come from horribly broken homes. The rest have families that love them and want them to clean up their act and get their lives together but for whatever crazy reasons they don't. Hopefully when they actually do get ready to make the necessary changes it won't be too late.

#6 FRED on 05/26/11 at 08:21 PM [Reply]

EASTMEN IS DA WORST RYDC DOSE KIDS HAVE DNE SUMTHING RELLY BAD..AND DA OFFICERS ARE EVEN WORST THEY DNT CARE BOUT THE KIDS THEY JUST WONT A PAY CHECK...

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