One
of two wards who sued the state over a videotaped fight with staffers three
years ago at the N.A. Chaderjian Youth Correctional Facility has reached a cash
settlement. The second involved ward’s case awaits trial. The
attorney for Vincent Baker, 23, of Stockton
wouldn't name the amount of the tentative settlement because everybody involved
agreed to keep it quiet until the deal is final. Baker and former Chaderjian
ward Narciso Morales, 24, were captured by surveillance cameras fighting with
two youth correctional counselors on Jan. 20, 2004. The video, which was nationally broadcast,
sparked wide debate about the state's inability to rehabilitate juvenile
offenders committed to the state and brought attention to the high levels of
violence at the Stockton lockup., Six staffers were fired in connection
with the 2004 brawl and eventually won back their jobs through a long appeal,
which the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is still
fighting. The staffers have taken their case to a state appeals court to keep
their jobs.
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