WI forced to pay $49K to prison brutality victim

[TheMightyFavog]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-wi-inmate-grenade,0,6989447.story

MADISON, Wis. - The only Wisconsin inmate ever subdued by a powerful grenade meant to control dangerous crowds will receive $49,000 to settle a lawsuit alleging its detonation in his cell was excessive force.

State lawyers representing a prison supervisor who deployed the stinger grenade against Raynard Jackson in 2005 agreed to the payment to avoid a trial in U.S. District Court that had been scheduled for this week. The deal, which does not admit wrongdoing, also resolves Jackson's claim that he was inappropriately strip-searched after the grenade was detonated.

Officials at the Wisconsin Secure Program Facility in Boscobel, formerly known as the Supermax prison, used the grenade to extract Jackson from his cell after he provoked a confrontation with guards.

(snip)

The grenades create a flash of light, a loud blast accompanied by smoke and spray 180 rubber pellets in a 50-foot radius. The manufacturer calls it "a pain compliance, distraction and disorientation device" that can cause serious injuries to sight and hearing if used improperly.