THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC
March 25,1998

**

Phoenix, Arimna

www.az«ntral.com

AIO

The Arizona Republic

USE OF FORCE IN MARICOPA COUNTY JAILS
Incidents by type of force used

Pepper
spray

Unknown

1.6%-

How pepper spray was used

••

•
,~nJunes

,-7.6%
1

.......!~"

Stun and

spray

0.9%

53.5%

Source: Arizona State University School of Justice Studies
The Arizona Republic

Study: Stun guns
curb jail injuries
By Dennis Wagner

The widespread use of stun guns
and pepper spray in Maricopa
County Jail has led to fewer injuries
for, guards and inmates, according to
a study sponsored by the Justice
Department.
John Hepburn, a professor with
Arizona State University's School of
Justice Studies, said two years of
research indicate that violent incidents have been resolved more
quickly and safely since detention

officers were armed with non-lethal
weapons.

"When used appropriately, these
devices are preferred to traditional
hands-on strategies for controlling
inmates," Hepburn said in an interview. "They're more effective,
and produce fewer injuries."

The findings on pepper spray +
appear to contradict another probe

sponsored by the lustice Department, which criticized the jail for
~

Please see JAIl, Page A10

WCdlll

"This probably has redvccd our
injuries - and the inmates' - by
aboLlt 50 percent." said Deputy
Chief Larry Wendt. who oversees
the sheriff's custody operations.
Wendt said he and other jailers
were hesitant to accept the new
correctional

mClliod,

which

was

Lmheard of just five years ago.
Due to the research in Maricopa
County and several other jails. he
predicted. "We are going to see,
without a doubt, more and more
facilities going to this."
Researchers emphasized that such
a program can only succeed if
- JAIL, from Page A I
guards are carefully trained and
given clear policies to follow. Hepexcessive force and specifically burn said his team devised a fOfm
condemned oleoresin capsicum, a that detention. officers were obliged
pepper spray_
to complete whenever they deployed
That earlier report, by correc- weapons or Ihreatened 10 do so.
tional consultant George Sullivan,
The report, completed late last
was a catapult for the U.S. attorney's year. was released after The Arizona
civil-rights lawsuit filed against Republic filed a public records
Arpaio and the county in October. request. It concludes that force is
Sullivan argued that pepper spray is used or threatened "quite often" in
potentially lethal and should be the jails - about 1,500 times a
"strictly prohibitted" except under
year, including four violent episodes
rigid guidelines.
daily in the congested jail intake
In contrast, Hepburn's team of area.
ASU professors found that pepper
Researchers found that stun guns
spray is particularly helpful because
and
spray had become "an integral
"the mere display
tool in the officers' response 10
ONLINE: For
or threat of a nonaltercations with inmates" in just
excerpts from
lethal weapon oftwo years. However. they cautioned
the report on
ten is enough to
that those weapons are inappropriate
use of
control the inmate
in
about one·third of the incidents.
non-lethal
and terminate the
In fact, even after non~lethal
weapons, see
altercation."
weapons were inlroduced, more than
this story on
Researchers
half the use·of·force incidents reArizona Central, concluded
that
poned by jailers were dealt wilh by
www.azcentral. pepper spray is an
hand. About one in three alterca~
effective tool for
com on the
tions was resolved with a stun gun:
10!le guards work-·
Internet.
just 7 percent involved the use of
ing in the open- pepper spray.
air jail at Tent
The ASU study is based largely
City, whereas stun guns are preferaon altercation forms and surveys
ble in crowded booking areas and
completed by guards. Hepburn
one-on-one altercations.
noted that findings were innuenced
Their report says non-lethal
by changes in jail policy and
weapons did not reduce the number
reponing. For instance, detention
of violent incidents in jail, but did
cut down on the number of inmate officers filed 25 percent fe\,:er useof· force forms after the Justice
grievances, as well as injuries.
The ASU study was commis- Department launched its civil rights
investigation two yearS ago. Resioned after Sheriff Joe Arpaio
searchers speculated that the de·
agreed to the Justice Department
crease occurred because guards lIsed
study - arming virtually all detenless force after Justice got involve(~
tion officers with pepper spray and
or stopped filing reports on all
electric stun guns in 1994. Those
weapons, acquired with funds from incidents, or a combination of both.
National Sheri fr's Association. re- Dennis Wagner can be reached at 444placed manual methods of control- 8874 or at dennis.wagner@pnLcom via
e-mail.
lin prisoners.

reduced

Applied

The Arizona Republic

Jail
.

108th Y