Is Your Special Emergency Response Team Prepared for the New Generational Correctional Facilities?

• NCJ Number: 164551
• Journal: American Jails Volume: 10 Issue: 4 Dated: (September-October 1996) Pages: 72-74
• Author(s): J L Garcia; B Mendelsohn
• Date Published: 1996
• Length: 3 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Technical Assistance)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

The scope and scale of violence in today's correctional settings require that administrators form, train, equip, and deploy Special Emergency Response Teams (SERT) to increase the options for resolving prison violence on almost any scale.

Abstract

Modern SERTs must be ready to react to situations such as hostage rescue, using armed and unarmed techniques; riot control in close quarters; and edge weapon survival tactics. The constant possibility of litigation requires that teams use different tactics and techniques to resolve widely varying situations. Direct supervision facilities present their own set of unique challenges, and SERTs must train for each possible contingency. Intensive basic training should be followed by 12-24 hours of refresher training per month. Initial training should be conducted by a firm with expertise and experience in the correctional special operations area. SERTs must also tailor their training to their facility. Photograph