When COs came in our unit for inspections or to shake us down, they were shining green laser lights right into our eyes, sometimes from just three feet away. It happened to me recently; the inmate next to me forgot to remove his hat, so a CO flashed the laster at us. The thermal burns felt like I had sand in my eye. And I saw spots for 20 minutes afterward.
When I first asked staff to stop shining the lasers in our eyes, they said, “No”! So, I sent the warden an electronic email with a polite but direct request that her officers refrain from the use of laser beams as a form of punishment. I quoted several federal regulations prohibiting the use of laser beams directly into the eyes, due to the risk of thermal burn.
Since then, staff no longer carry these weapons. I believe they are probably prohibited from bringing them into the compound now. However, they still use the big, heavy mag lights to punish us if we fail to take off our hats in the chow hall. This one officer plays with his light as a toy right in our eyes all the time. I don’t think they understand how this feels. If they would turn it on into their own eyes, I assure you they would stop doing it to us. It is very painful and causes temporary blindness. The mag lights are very powerful! I had an officer purposely sneak up to my cell while I was laying on my bunk, and she zapped me right in my eyes. She did this as punishment because I failed to stand up during count because I fell asleep.