In These Times
06-23-2011, 08:25 PM
Stephanie Moulton reportedly loved her job as a social worker serving mentally disturbed people living in group homes under the care of the state—many of them having ended up there as a result of criminal charges.
Moulton was brutally killed by one of the schizophrenic men in her care, Deshawn James Chappell, while the 100-pound woman was, as usual, working alone at the group home. Other residents had left for programs and she was taking Chappell to an appointment when he stabbed her to death, dumped her body and fled to his grandmother’s house. His distraught mother told The New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/17/us/17MENTAL.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2&sq=sontag&st=cse&scp=3) she had been telling officials at two different homes for some time that her son was off his medication and becoming increasingly erratic and violent. Working alone, Moulton was not physically equipped for the challenge.
Meanwhile, workers at juvenile detention centers in a number of states are complaining of being regularly attacked by their young charges, and discouraged from reporting the incidents by higher-ups, as reported (http://www.salon.com/wires/us/2011/06/19/D9NV32MO0_us_juvenile_violence/index.html) by the Associated Press last week.
Both situations are examples of how government budget cuts and privatization of social services over the years—becoming even more critical in current times—put both government workers and people under the government’s care at serious risk.
More... (http://www.inthesetimes.com/working/entry/11542/budget_cuts_and_privatization_violence_and_danger_for_government_worke/)
Moulton was brutally killed by one of the schizophrenic men in her care, Deshawn James Chappell, while the 100-pound woman was, as usual, working alone at the group home. Other residents had left for programs and she was taking Chappell to an appointment when he stabbed her to death, dumped her body and fled to his grandmother’s house. His distraught mother told The New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/17/us/17MENTAL.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2&sq=sontag&st=cse&scp=3) she had been telling officials at two different homes for some time that her son was off his medication and becoming increasingly erratic and violent. Working alone, Moulton was not physically equipped for the challenge.
Meanwhile, workers at juvenile detention centers in a number of states are complaining of being regularly attacked by their young charges, and discouraged from reporting the incidents by higher-ups, as reported (http://www.salon.com/wires/us/2011/06/19/D9NV32MO0_us_juvenile_violence/index.html) by the Associated Press last week.
Both situations are examples of how government budget cuts and privatization of social services over the years—becoming even more critical in current times—put both government workers and people under the government’s care at serious risk.
More... (http://www.inthesetimes.com/working/entry/11542/budget_cuts_and_privatization_violence_and_danger_for_government_worke/)