They're shocking: Monroe County Jail officers equipped with electrified gloves

Monroe County Sheriff Brad Swain has equipped local jail employees with special  gloves that have electrodes in the finger pads and palm that emit an electronic shock when they touch another person.

Their purpose: to help Monroe County Correctional Center officers intervene in fights by quickly halting violent behavior and reducing injuries.

Swain said the device, called The GLOVE (Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter) is used in the jail to help break up fights when participants refuse verbal commands to stop.

It puts out 380 volts, compared to the 50,000 volts of electricity from a police Taser.

The effect on a person is similar to that of electronic control weapons sold under the brand name Taser, which resemble handguns but shoot out barbed electrified probes instead of bullets.