Candor Takes a Beating at Oak Hill

Let's hear from Isaacs, who reported that while Duncan was escorting DB to the restroom, she heard the youth call Duncan the same expletive he reported hearing.

"At that time," she wrote, she saw "DB hit Duncan in the face, seconds later CB, RH, MP, DB all began throwing punches, hitting Duncan in the head, neck, back as well with a [video-game] controller. This writer called a code blue for assistance. While waiting on assistance, the residents were beating Duncan severely. This writer opened the door for assistance to come in and the residents ran out[,] continuing to beat Duncan. Staff came and assisted with helping Duncan off the ground.

"As a result of this assault, I sustained pain to my left shoulder, head, back and left knee."

"Physical altercation"?

Correctional officer Kelvin Powell: "Once we arrived, there were about five residents assaulting staff (Duncan). We were trying to divide them and counsel them, they just kept hitting him."

A correctional officer identified only as Nash: Residents "were outside fighting Duncan, hitting him in the face, pulling his hair. Several other [correctional officers] came to help intervene. Duncan walked away as if he was dazed and not alert."

Assaults on staff members, other Oak Hill employees have told me, are not unusual. Severe punishment is rare, they say, under the stewardship of DYRS Director Vincent Schiraldi.

Twice this week, I asked DYRS to provide the number of youth assaults on staffers that occurred in 2007 and so far this year.

On Thursday, DYRS brushed off my requests with this e-mail reply: "We can provide you with this data in future months but unfortunately we cannot go back in time to provide data because it is not automated and would take an extraordinary length of staff time to gather, since it would have to be collected by hand."

What if this data were sought by the mayor or D.C. Council?

On Wednesday, the DYRS chief of committed services, David Muhammad, sought an "off the record" conversation with me about the assault on Duncan.

Muhammad refused to discuss the matter on the record or on a basis that would allow me to report his information but identify him only in general terms. He said his superiors would not let him go that far.