Sheriff Joe Arpaio (in Arizona) who created the "tent city jail":

Brutuskend

Lifer
Apr 2, 2001
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He has jail meals down to 40 cents a serving and charges the inmates for them. He stopped smoking and porno magazines in the jails. Took away their weights. Cut off all but "G" movies. He started chain gangs so the inmates could do free work on county and city projects. 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 only let in the Disney channel and the weather channel. When asked why the weather channel he replied, so they will know how hot it's gonna be while they are working on my chain gangs.

He cut off coffee since it has zero nutritional value. When the inmates complained, he told them, "This isn't the Ritz/Carlton. If you don't like it, don't come back."

He bought Newt Gingrich' lecture series on videotape 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 might explain why a lot of the inmates were in his jails in the first place.

More on the Arizona Sheriff:

With temperatures being even hotter than usual in Phoenix (116 degrees just set a new record), the Associated Press reports:

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 Wednesday,
hundreds of men wearing boxers were either curled up on their bunk beds or chatted in the tents, which reached 138 degrees inside the week before. Many were also swathed in wet, pink towels as sweat
collected on their chests and dripped down to their pink socks.

"It feels like we are in a furnace," said James Zanzot, an inmate who has lived in the tents for 1 1/2
years. "It's inhumane."
Joe Arpaio, the tough-guy sheriff who created the tent city and long ago started making his prisoners wear pink, and eat bologna sandwiches, is not one bit sympathetic He said Wednesday that he told all of the inmates:

"It's 120 degrees in Iraq and our soldiers are living in tents too, and they have to wear full battle gear,
but they didn't commit any crimes, so shut your damned mouths!"

Way to go, Sheriff! Maybe if all prisons were like this one, there would be a lot less crime and/or repeat offenders. Criminals should be punished for their crimes - not live in luxury until it's time for their
parole, only to go out and commit another crime so they can get back in to live on taxpayers money and enjoy things taxpayers can't afford to have for themselves.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Moral of the story?

Don't get busted in Arizona!
 

Orsorum

Lifer
Dec 26, 2001
27,631
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No offense Dave, but do you post every piece of semi-legible right-wing crap that gets sent to your email inbox?
 

AFB

Lifer
Jan 10, 2004
10,718
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Originally posted by: Orsorum
No offense Dave, but do you post every piece of semi-legible right-wing crap that gets sent to your email inbox?
 

Brutuskend

Lifer
Apr 2, 2001
26,558
4
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Originally posted by: Orsorum
No offense Dave, but do you post every piece of semi-legible right-wing crap that gets sent to your email inbox?

No.

I wondered how others felt about this story, thats all.

You KNOW I'm not a right winger! (or SHOULD) ;)
 

AreaCode707

Lifer
Sep 21, 2001
18,447
133
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When I was in high school, I did some mission trips to Mexico. We ate bolonga sandwiches, did construction work in 100 degree heat, and wore culture-appropriate clothing, which meant girls were doing construction work in skirts in 100 degree heat.

If what the sheriff was doing was so abnormal that it wasn't done anywhere else, I might think differently, but their life doesn't sound too different from the lives of some hardworking people I know in NorCal, except that they can't have coffee in the morning and go home and watch tv at the end of the day. But then, that's prison for you.
 

Orsorum

Lifer
Dec 26, 2001
27,631
5
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Originally posted by: Brutuskend
Originally posted by: Orsorum
No offense Dave, but do you post every piece of semi-legible right-wing crap that gets sent to your email inbox?

No.

I wondered how others felt about this story, thats all.

You KNOW I'm not a right winger! (or SHOULD) ;)

It's not you, personally, that irritates me. It seems that most of the rants against contemporary society, often disguised as pithy little "Isn't it funny?"-type tales, end up being poorly-written, poorly-conceived talking points generated by half-educated right-wing idiots.

I'm a conservative, btw. :p
 

UglyCasanova

Lifer
Mar 25, 2001
19,275
1,361
126
Originally posted by: HotChic
When I was in high school, I did some mission trips to Mexico. We ate bolonga sandwiches, did construction work in 100 degree heat, and wore culture-appropriate clothing, which meant girls were doing construction work in skirts in 100 degree heat.

If what the sheriff was doing was so abnormal that it wasn't done anywhere else, I might think differently, but their life doesn't sound too different from the lives of some hardworking people I know in NorCal, except that they can't have coffee in the morning and go home and watch tv at the end of the day. But then, that's prison for you.

Edited: 03/28/2004 at 11:59 PM by AnandTech Moderator

eh?
 

bradruth

Lifer
Aug 9, 2002
13,479
2
81
Originally posted by: UglyCassanova
Originally posted by: HotChic
When I was in high school, I did some mission trips to Mexico. We ate bolonga sandwiches, did construction work in 100 degree heat, and wore culture-appropriate clothing, which meant girls were doing construction work in skirts in 100 degree heat.

If what the sheriff was doing was so abnormal that it wasn't done anywhere else, I might think differently, but their life doesn't sound too different from the lives of some hardworking people I know in NorCal, except that they can't have coffee in the morning and go home and watch tv at the end of the day. But then, that's prison for you.

Edited: 03/28/2004 at 11:59 PM by AnandTech Moderator

eh?

It's in the sig, old man. ;)
 

vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 28, 1999
62,484
8,344
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Unfortunatetly it hasn't done much to help curb the crime rate here in Phoenix. Property crime and car theft is through the roof.

I won't knock the practice though. Prisions should be like that. You commit a crime and you forfeit your rights to a cushy life.
 

DAGTA

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
8,172
1
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For anyone that doubts it, it's real. I live in Phoenix and we hear about Sheriff Joe regularly.

I see no problem with it. Prison is supposed to be a punishment. Instead, many prisoners live better than the lower middle class and lower class of the United States. Interestingly enough, Sheriff Joe has one of the lowest return criminal rates in the country.

BTW, I call BS on the 116. I haven't seen it above 108F so far in 2004.
 

gistech1978

Diamond Member
Aug 30, 2002
5,047
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and how many are there for simple drug possesion?

thats my question. if youre caught with an ounce in maricopa county do you have to go sherrif's joes jail?

if youre caught with your oz of reefer in oregon, you would go to do 'drug diversion' and be tested for a while and go to a state-run rehab type social office.

sure, rapists, kiddy rapers, murderers and violent crime felons its great for them
but someone caught with an oz of reef doesnt deserve that, and of course i dont have the exact numbers of inmates and their crimes, but i guarantee you. there are people in that prison for petty crimes. more than likely blacks or mexicans.
 

Mill

Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
28,558
3
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Not inhumane. There has been prison camps like that in South Georgia for years. SOUTH FREAKING GEORGIA. I'd rather be in the Arizona sun that have to deal with South Georgia weather. I can't say I agree with much that Sheriff does though. He's got a history of being WAY too hardcore on most things. I work in a place that is all asphalt. It raises the temperature to a good 10-20 degrees above the actual temperature. Add in the humidity and already hot temperatures and it is pretty bad. I don't get to walk around in pink boxers either! :p I do have air-conditioned rooms that I can retreat to.
 

Mill

Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
28,558
3
81
Originally posted by: DAGTA
For anyone that doubts it, it's real. I live in Phoenix and we hear about Sheriff Joe regularly.

I see no problem with it. Prison is supposed to be a punishment. Instead, many prisoners live better than the lower middle class and lower class of the United States. Interestingly enough, Sheriff Joe has one of the lowest return criminal rates in the country.

BTW, I call BS on the 116. I haven't seen it above 108F so far in 2004.

It depends on where the thermometer is located and if it is in a proper shelter.
 

SSP

Lifer
Oct 11, 1999
17,727
0
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Originally posted by: UglyCassanova
Originally posted by: HotChic
When I was in high school, I did some mission trips to Mexico. We ate bolonga sandwiches, did construction work in 100 degree heat, and wore culture-appropriate clothing, which meant girls were doing construction work in skirts in 100 degree heat.

If what the sheriff was doing was so abnormal that it wasn't done anywhere else, I might think differently, but their life doesn't sound too different from the lives of some hardworking people I know in NorCal, except that they can't have coffee in the morning and go home and watch tv at the end of the day. But then, that's prison for you.

Edited: 03/28/2004 at 11:59 PM by AnandTech Moderator

eh?

Another poor unfortunate soul deceived by that brilliant sig. :beer::D
 

vi edit

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 28, 1999
62,484
8,344
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BTW, I call BS on the 116. I haven't seen it above 108F so far in 2004.

When I got down here around the 1st of June it 111. Not 116 of course, but still very warm.
 

ViRGE

Elite Member, Moderator Emeritus
Oct 9, 1999
31,516
167
106
I like it in theory, but I don't know enough about it. Considering the fellow who's been there for a year and a half, what kind of free time do the guys have? Do they have access to a library and recent news(i.e. newspapers)? I'd like to think that there's at least a chance of redemption/reform in prison.
 

Gurck

Banned
Mar 16, 2004
12,963
1
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I'm not sure if I agree with the lack of a/c, but other than that I can't fault him. I never knew it was mandated that prisons get cable TV, I think that's utterly disgusting. They should force them to read, not let them watch the idiot-tube :roll:
 

RubySoHo

Junior Member
Jun 29, 2004
16
0
0
I consider myself a moderate liberal and yet I think Sherriff Joe is right on the money. Why the f*&# are we paying tax dollars so these criminals can have a higher standard of living than most decent hardworking people? If jails weren't such pleasant places to be, people might actually be deterred from committing crimes.
 

StageLeft

No Lifer
Sep 29, 2000
70,150
5
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Way to go, Sheriff! Maybe if all prisons were like this one, there would be a lot less crime and/or repeat offenders.
Is that a fact, or a guess? If it's a fact, then I commend the guy. If it's not true and it doesn't change crime rates in the least, well then I don't really care. Sucks to be a prisoner!
Interestingly enough, Sheriff Joe has one of the lowest return criminal rates in the country.
Sweet!

Anything we can do to minimize the tax drain of people in prison is great, IMO. Chain gangs are one way. Make them do something productive besides pump iron all day and sit around.
 

Amused

Elite Member
Apr 14, 2001
57,059
18,428
146
No AC is "inhumane?" I guess there was no humanity before the invention of refrigeration, huh? :roll: