Gung Ho Prison Treatment:

Gung Ho Prison Treatment:
Current mood:  adventurous
Category: News and Politics

A special blog to help out my friend Vicki !
She obviously felt she got herself into a blog "bind" by reposting somebody elses article.
She took down the blog out of "respect" for a victim of a gung ho Sheriff who voiced her opinion.
I felt Vicki need not take it down, it actually just STARTED to get interesting to see BOTH sides of this.
Here is a paste of her blog and the replies from myself, Mikki (the victim), and Vicki:
Note that the "other thing" I was referring to will be after this paste in my email to Vicki about it:
USA JAIL - SOME INTERESTING READING
TO THOSE OF YOU NOT FAMILIAR WITH JOE ARPAIO, HE IS THE MARICOPA COUNTY SHERIFF ( ARIZONA ) AND HE KEEPS GETTING ELECTED OVER
  AND OVER AGAIN.
These are some of the reasons why:
 Sheriff Joe Arpaio created the 'tent city jail' to save Arizona from spending tens of millions of dollars on another expensive prison  complex.

He has jail meals down to 20 cents a serving and charges the inmates for them.

He banned smoking and pornographic magazines in the jails, and took away their weightlifting equipment and cut off all but 'G' movies. He says:
 'They're in jail to pay a debt to society not to build muscles so they can assault innocent people when they leave.'
He started chain gangs to use the inmates to do free work on county and city projects and save taxpayer's money.
Then he started chain gangs for women so he wouldn't get sued for discrimination.

He took away cable TV until he found out there was a federal court order that required cable TV for jails. So he hooked up the cable TV again but only allows the Disney channel and the weather channel.

When asked why the weather channel, he replied: 'So these morons will know how hot it's gonna be while they are working on my chain gangs.'
 He cut off coffee because it has zero nutritional value and is therefore a waste of taxpayer money. When the inmates complained, he told them, 'This isn't  the Ritz/Carlton. If you don't like it, don't come back.'
 He also bought the Newt Gingrich lecture series on US history that he pipes into the jails. When asked by a reporter if he had any lecture series by a Democrat, he replied that a democratic lecture series that actually tells the truth for a change would be welcome and that it might even explain why 95% of the inmates were in his jails in the first place.

With temperatures being even hotter than usual in Phoenix (116 degrees just set a new record for June 2nd 2007), the Associated Press reported: About 2,000 inmates living in  a barbed wire surrounded tent encampment at the Maricopa County Jail have been given permission to strip down to their government-issued pink boxer shorts.

On the Wednesday, hundreds of men  wearing pink boxer shorts were overheard chatting in the tents, where temperatures reached 128 degrees.
 'This is hell. It feels like we live in a furnace,' said Ernesto Gonzales, an inmate for 2 years with 10 more to go. 'It's inhumane.'
 Joe Arpaio, who makes his prisoners wear pink, and eat bologna sandwiches, is not one bit sympathetic. 'Criminals should be punished for their crimes - not live in luxury until it's time for parole, only to go out and commit more crimes so they can come back in to live on taxpayers money and enjoy things  many taxpayers can't afford to have for themselves.'

The same day he told all the inmates who were complaining of the heat in the tents: 'It's between 120 to 130 degrees in Iraq and our soldiers are living in tents too, and they have to walk all day in the sun, wearing full battle gear and get shot at, and they have not committed any crimes, so shut your damned mouths!'

Way to go, Sheriff! If all prisons were like yours there would be a lot less crime and we would not be in the current position of running out of prison spaces.

If you agree, pass this on.
If not, just delete it.

Sheriff Joe was just re-elected as Sheriff in Maricopa County , Arizona



**update**  closed to further comments in respect to a friend
Vicki,
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From Me:


In a couple of places I disagree with this, but i will only mention one:

"He also bought the Newt Gingrich lecture series on US history that he pipes into the jails. When asked by a reporter if he had any lecture series by a Democrat, he replied that a democratic lecture series that actually tells the truth for a change would be welcome and that it might even explain why 95% of the inmates were in his jails in the first place."

I know this is not a political blog but I have a few things to say in brief.
Newt Gingrich is the biggest moron next to George Bush this planet has ever known and he, george, and rush limbaugh have circle jerks with each other.

If you're point here is that its punishment to hear Newt, then so be it, I have no room to argue cause it would be the Worst torture.
Furthermore, Republicans are thieves so Newt is not good for these criminals.


The only vice of democrats is holding demonstrations from the liberal front.
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From Mikki:

Unfortunately this is not the full story. You know where else he saves money? Medical expenses. I had a mild stroke while waiting for medical care... ALl I needed were my blood pressure pills. I waited over a month but didn't get the care I needed until it was almost too late.

Funny that he doesn't have a problem with the county paying extraditon charges from Singapore on a $150 fine.
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From Mikki 2:

7 months in Maricopa county before I went to prison. This e-mail that you posted, is not the full story. He uses the money he saves on food and housing for programs like fingerprinting every motorist who gets pulled over.

I'll go into it another time. I have to go to work.

Just know that the email you posted really pissed me off.... Just my opinion though.

The thing is, That every inmate gets this treatment...Not just violent offenders. The little old lady who didn't pay her parking tickets will be treated like a murderer.
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From Vicki (blog reposter):

Mikki, you and I have talked outside of this and I think we're cool with each other.

But I want everyone to know that Mikki has her own reasons for her opinion and she is entitled to it.

No, this is not the full story. It was simply an email that I received from a friend and tho, I have heard of it before, thought it might be some interesting conversation. I never expected to know anyone that had actually been there.

So my public apologies to Mikki.

Here is a link that Mikki provided me with additional stories on this sheriff.
http://www. arpaio. com/why-arpaios-gotta-go/2. php copy paste if it don't work. sorry.
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Mikki 3:
Oh, wow hun. An appology is so not necessary.

I can see how Sheriff Joe would be likely to get positive attention. I just wanted to share my difference of opinion and provide a little information so that people can get more of the story.

Most of the money he saves taxpayers, he uses for lawsuits against the county for inhumane treatment of inmates. The lawsuits are usually settled out of court.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

So at this point, all the anti-prison abuse people had room to come in and comment, well, I couldnt myself (yes I had the chance earlier but was waiting to see other reactions, so spank me!! lol), so i emailed the following letter to Vicki:
Hi Vicki,
sorry it turned out like that.
I will say that I held back to a great degree my total thoughts on that one myself...know why?
Heres why:
the general public have a "mob mentality", it doesnt matter
what the inmate is in for, if you dont SPECIFY it, people think in "blanket" terms  ie..."all bad guys need to be locked up and throw away the key"

That is a bad way of thinking, everybody is an individual with individual cases.

To have these people work in that kind of heat SHOULD be classified as "cruel and unusual punishment"..

You may have felt the same way the general public does about "let them suffer" they are criminals, but our justice system is not about "retribution" from the public, its about CORRECTIONS and further prevention.

Even if its not a perfect system, we have to work with what is logical, not EMOTIONAL.

Emotional is given when the victim or victims family , have their day in court during sentencing to read out their "impact statements" and /or witness the execution of murderers etc..

Common thought though after these people witness it?  "it didnt make me feel ANY better, it didnt bring (insert name here) back"

So what is the point of retribution aside from emotional satisfaction? NOTHING!!

I came across a blog about a sex offender recently and didnt comment, simply because I dont have all the facts, nor the specifics of the case, but guess what? The "mob" was all there to judge and condemn this person.
Of course sexual abuse is abhorrable as many other crimes are, but once again, its all about WHAT caused this to happen?

We also dont know if that person will be in " rehabilitating" condition after parole etc...
How many murders were a result of questionable self-defense, death of a abusive parent by child, or death of spouse by daily abused and battered wife etc?

Do they need to almost die in the hot sun doing hard labor because they protected themselves from further abuse?

People that hate criminals dont think much about these things...a criminal is a criminal in their minds.

Its ok for you to feel emotion about criminals that do things like kill children etc, and you are right that cable is NOT needed in prisons, and some of the other stuff, keep in mind that some of that stuff was granted to prisoners partly because it PACIFYS them and makes a CO (floor guard) more safe when he/she actually have to mingle (be physically IN with), those prisoners.
Its scary enuff to be a guard without having to put up with constant rebellion.

I dont think it was really necessary for you to 'lower" your blog, a few changes and additions could have made it more palatable.

having Mikki in there just showed the other side and thats a good thing.

I'm going to put this into a blog of my own and watch what happens, i will get both sides as well!!  lol

Friends, Mike

Thoughts anybody?

Vicki Victoria

 

I just double checked and the comments should be enabled again.

Those of us on the outside, who have never been 'in', have only what the media portrays to us, as jail. We hear things, see things, etc, but until we experience it, we have nothing else to base our opinions on. And it is really unfair to those that have felt it first hand.

I agree, not all offenders are 'bad' offenders. And there are SOOO many things wrong with our justice system, not to mention education and medical systems. There are so many cases where the punishment does NOT fit the crime. And often times people are made examples of and scapegoats for.

I'm tired of being in the dark, being held on a 'need to know' basis. I think the public would be appalled and embarrassed if we/they knew what REALLY goes on behind the scenes and what our government gets away with.
 

Posted by Vicki Victoria on June 12, 2008 - Thursday - 5:26 AM