Brickbat: From Guard to Inmate

Francisco Izayas Castillo, a former jail guard in Santa Clara County, California, was sentenced to 45 days in jail after a jury convicted him of misdemeanor battery in March. The charge stemmed from a 2022 incident in which Castillo, the only deputy in the housing unit at the time, helped two inmates beat up a third. When the attackers told him they were going to assault the other inmate, Castillo allegedly responded, "handle it," then gave them rubber gloves and opened the victim's cell door. After the attack, when the victim activated an emergency alarm in his cell, Castillo turned it off and didn't report the assault or alert medical authorities. He was later fired.