Juvenile Corrections Officer killed in Cuyahoga Hills

[basketballparent]

Mr. William Hesson died at the hands of "youth" in one of our state run facilities.
Guard dies after incident at juvenile correctional center
By Beacon Journal staff and wire services

POSTED: 07:20 p.m. EDT, May 02, 2009

The State Highway Patrol is investigating the death of a 39-year-old state youth corrections officer from Stark County.

Dead is William Hesson of Canton, who had worked at the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Correctional Facility in Highland Heights for only a few months before he died late Wednesday after an incident involving a youth at the facility, according to the Department of Youth Services.

The department has not released any details about what led up to Hesson's death or what his injuries were, pending a ruling from Cuyahoga County Coroner Frank Miller.

Hesson was highly respected and very professional, said Sally Meckling, a spokeswoman for the Ohio Civil Service Employees Association.

Meckling said the union is increasingly concerned about factors that are contributing to a volatile environment in juvenile detention facilities, including a large fight among inmates and the assault of a female officer in a cell, both at a center in Marion.

She believes an unchecked gang problem throughout the system and the impending closing of the Marion facility, which houses high-risk offenders, are leading to disruption and injury to staff.

All youths in state correctional facilities are being reclassified, and many are being sent to facilities with different levels of supervision. The reclassification is being done as part of a settlement of a lawsuit that challenged conditions in Youth Services facilities.

The youth involved in the altercation with Hesson had recently been moved to Highland Hills from another facility, Meckling said.

He is expected to be charged in Hesson's death, according to a law-enforcement source.

The Reed funeral home is handling arrangements for Hesson.



The State Highway Patrol is investigating the death of a 39-year-old state youth corrections officer from Stark County.

Dead is William Hesson of Canton, who had worked at the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Correctional Facility in Highland Heights for only a few months before he died late Wednesday after an incident involving a youth at the facility, according to the Department of Youth Services.

The department has not released any details about what led up to Hesson's death or what his injuries were, pending a ruling from Cuyahoga County Coroner Frank Miller.

Hesson was highly respected and very professional, said Sally Meckling, a spokeswoman for the Ohio Civil Service Employees Association.

Meckling said the union is increasingly concerned about factors that are contributing to a volatile environment in juvenile detention facilities, including a large fight among inmates and the assault of a female officer in a cell, both at a center in Marion.

She believes an unchecked gang problem throughout the system and the impending closing of the Marion facility, which houses high-risk offenders, are leading to disruption and injury to staff.

All youths in state correctional facilities are being reclassified, and many are being sent to facilities with different levels of supervision. The reclassification is being done as part of a settlement of a lawsuit that challenged conditions in Youth Services facilities.

The youth involved in the altercation with Hesson had recently been moved to Highland Hills from another facility, Meckling said.

He is expected to be charged in Hesson's death, according to a law-enforcement source.

The Reed funeral home is handling arrangements for Hesson


With the closing of the Marion DYS and the reclassification of inmates because of a lawsuit, there could be more loss of life within the walls of all the facilities. Please pray for Mr. Hesson's family. This has deeply affected all of us at the Franklin Furnace facility (ORVJCF). The assaults are happening more frequently and the "youth" are getting more rewards it seems. These are not your everyday kids, they are murderers, baby rapers. The adult system is now having problems with the kids that have recommitted and being sentenced to adult facilities. They are bringing with them gangs that the adult system has no clue what to do with. DRC has said that this is a different breed of inmates. Of course it is! They get there way in the Juvenile System and think they can go to the adult system and act and do the same things.
Please remember Officer Hesson and his family in your prayers. Pray for all the employees that are inside a fence with these Juveniles and the adult system. It is a diffferent world behind those fences and we all need to contact government officials and make them answer for the way these systems are run now!

[The Instructor]

I have friends and relatives who work as officers in some of these facilities.

They say those kids can attack them and there isn't much they can do about it.

If they try to defend themselves, they can be fired.

The kids know this and have no fear.

This is terrible!

[BubbleGumTiger]

Article from the Tribune.........


youth-prison-system-dys-functional

[Regulator]

I talked to a "youth" that was sent away to a Juvenile Detention Center for a month and he told me it was great. He loved the hot breakfast and the two hours of video games he was allowed to play during the day. At night he was allowed 1 hour, but he said it was usually 2 hours of TV. Wow!! rough life for these felony offenders. Yes, they are 21, but they know exactly what they are doing. Another example of our society going soft!!!!!

[basketballparent]

These kids are being fed better than our kids at home. For instance:
Breakfast
Scrambled eggs
Hashbrown or homefries
Toast
Hot or cold cereal
Some kind of canned or fresh fruit
Juice
Milk


Lunch
Meatloaf
Mashed Potatoes
gravy
Broccoli
Bread
Cake w/strawberries
salad (lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, cheese, croutons)
milk

Dinner
Chicken Sandwich w/lett. tom. mayo. cheese
Macaroni Salad
Mixed veggies
fruit
Milk
koolaid

snack
animal crackers
juice milk

snacks can consist of fruit rollups instead of the juice, poptarts, pretzels, rice krispie treat, cookies, little debbie cake
They have DVD's to choose to watch, big screen tv's, xbox's, mp3 players, games, cards.
Probably only 10% of the youth receive visits from parents or relatives. The ones that do get visits get loaded up on pop, candy, chips from the vending machines. They have pizza parties for good behaviour in the school. There is ABSOLUTELY no detterent (sp?) to keep them from coming back or wanting to stay.
Google "heartless felons" and see what problems these same youth are causing in the adult system.
Keep praying for the officers and staff behind those fences where ever they may work.

[Tigercannon71]

Where are these youth detention centers you guys are seeing all this at? I watch Lockdown all the time and I havent seen one this good on there ever when they showcase the youth prisons. Remember one thing no matter how good it seems they have it they are still locked up in a prison.

[Regulator]

Where are these youth detention centers you guys are seeing all this at? I watch Lockdown all the time and I havent seen one this good on there ever when they showcase the youth prisons. Remember one thing no matter how good it seems they have it they are still locked up in a prison.

The boy I talked with went to Chillicothe to the JDC. Maybe he was spinning a yarn to make it sound better then it was, but why would he lie?
Also, think about some of the areas and homes these people come from. Hot shower and hot food would be enough reason to stay where they are. Why go back to running the streets and wondering if your parent (s) were going to have food on the table.
I also talked to an older gentlemen and he told me if he lost his job and family he would kill someone so he could be locked up and taken care of the rest of his life. Now that was a little extreme for me, but hey it's how some people think!! Scary if you ask me.

[basketballparent]

The menu I gave you is what we served the youth yesterday at ORV in Franklin Furnace. This is just a sample of what they get everyday.