Although several other staff members surrounded the fracas, none initially tried to intervene, either to handcuff the youths -- the priority during any fight, according to CYA policy -- or to restrain their colleagues. Instead, one officer is seen shooting the youths with a gun that fires balls of pepper spray, while another sprays their faces with mace.
As security personnel from outside the unit arrive, the tape shows Brown getting off Morales. But seconds later, the counselor can be seen walking back toward the prone, handcuffed inmate before another staff member takes Brown's arm and leads him from the room.
Noting that the CYA's mission is to turn around the lives of troubled young men and women, Romero said the footage depicted conduct that was "the farthest thing from rehabilitation."
She said the case also underscored concerns that a "code of silence" within corrections was a serious roadblock for managers seeking to rein in abusive officers. The code of silence has been among numerous problems emerging in a wave of criticism leveled at California's adult and juvenile prisons recently by legislators, whistle-blowers and the courts.
In this episode, the four employees witnessing the melee filed written reports described by internal CYA investigators as "misleading" and "factually false" because they conflicted with the tape.
"It's disturbing," said Davey Turner, a lawyer for Baker who is preparing to sue the state over the incident. "They're supposed to be rehabilitating these kids, but instead you see guards acting as look-outs while the other guards beat up the inmates."
Turner praised Romero for releasing the tape, saying that "taxpayers need to see what's going on with kids in these facilities."
Baker's mother, Lori, agreed, and said it had been "very tough" to feel "helpless" as she watched her son being assaulted on tape.
CYA Director Walter Allen, who has called the footage "very troubling," declined to comment Thursday, saying in a statement that he did not want to compromise a possible criminal prosecution. The guards being investigated have not commented.
From the beginning, however, CYA leaders have declared the conduct of the officers out of line. Only hours after the incident, Chaderjian's assistant superintendent, Timothy Mahoney, concluded that "staff used excessive force," according to a confidential CYA report.
