North Carolina prison supervisors being armed with Tasers
CHARLOTTE, NC Sept 2 2020 Supervisors at North Carolina’s maximum security prisons are being armed with Tasers to break up fights.
The Charlotte Observer reported Tuesday that the devices have been given to hundreds of supervisors at seven maximum-security prisons and will be issued to those in five more.
Tasers are designed to immobilize attackers with high-voltage shocks. Critics worry that stun guns could be fatal for inmates with heart problems.
State Department of Public Safety spokesman John Bull said that Tasers “provide safety and security in the close custody prisons.” But North Carolina CURE, a group that advocates for inmates, questioned whether officers would know which inmates had heart conditions that could make them vulnerable to death or injury.
