Australia Needs This Sheriff!!!

[csv8]

Maricopa County, Arizona, Sheriff Joe Arpaio has planned a particularly economical meal for the roughly 7,500 to 10,000 inmates in his jail system this Thanksgiving.

The meal comes in at a cost of just 56 cents per inmate, and its main entrée will be 24-cent vegetarian turkey soy casserole. Arpaio tweeted the Thanksgiving menu Wednesday morning.

“Hope the inmates give thanks for this special meal being served in the jails tomorrow," Arpaio's tweet said.

The official Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office website features a bio of Arpaio that touts his accomplishments in providing inmates with “the cheapest meals in the U.S.” by feeding inmates “only twice daily, to cut the labor costs of meal delivery." Arpaio has “even stopped serving them salt and pepper” to save taxpayer money, according to the bio.

The average meal for an inmate in a Maricopa County jail costs between 15 and 40 cents, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office website.

In September, Arpaio implemented a vegetarian diet for inmates in an effort to save $100,000 on food costs for prisoners. He also announced in March a plan to charge inmates $1 for their meals, according to ABC15.

"Everybody else has to pay for their food, why should [inmates] get freebies?" Arpaio said in an ABC15 news video.

Last Thanksgiving, the controversial sheriff complained about the cost of providing a Thanksgiving meal to each inmate in a press release, calling the “whopping 68 cents” paid for every meal an “astronomical increase" from the cost of previous Thanksgiving dinners.

A 2012 East Oregonian article about a Thanksgiving dinner for inmates that cost 98 cents per prisoner quoted an assistant prison superintendent, who noted that treating inmates with a sense of humanity at the holidays helps prepare them for life after prison and may reduce recidivism rates. "We don't want to release angry inmates," the assistant noted. The Oregon meal included 634 pounds of sliced turkey breast, cranberry sauce and gravy.

In a Veteran’s Day press release earlier this month, Arpaio announced another questionable jailhouse initiative called “Patriotic Jails,” which introduced an exclusively “bread and water" diet for 30-day periods of time as punishment for allegedly unpatriotic acts.

“Any defacement or vandalism of the flags by inmates comes with the penalty of bread and water. Ten inmates are currently on bread and water for this infraction,” Arpaio said in the press release.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/1...?ncid=webmail3

[BHDOGS]

one can dream about this being adopted in australia

[Trump]

With the US prison population growing faster than their debt, I wouldn't be lauding his efforts. People are being incarcerated for trivial things of late. He's tarred all of the inmates with the same brush, when by and large, most of them are only guilty of being poor.

[XB GS 351 Coupe]

Originally Posted by Loud_Noises

With the US prison population growing faster than their debt, I wouldn't be lauding his efforts. People are being incarcerated for trivial things of late. He's tarred all of the inmates with the same brush, when by and large, most of them are only guilty of being poor.

Poor buggers, I am guessing they are only in prison because they are being discriminated against and misunderstood, I bet not a crime has been committed by any of them.

May be we should send them a care package

Please anyone that is in prison is there for a very good reason, they would have had plenty of chances before they finally get locked up.

[Trump]

Originally Posted by XB GS 351 Coupe

Poor buggers, I am guessing they are only in prison because they are being discriminated against and misunderstood, I bet not a crime has been committed by any of them.

May be we should send them a care package

Please anyone that is in prison is there for a very good reason, they would have had plenty of chances before they finally get locked up.

Oh that unwavering faith in the perfect legal system...

Unlike here in Australia, the US welfare system whilst consuming a massive portion of tax receipts, does almost nothing for the genuinely poor and disadvantaged. Besides the food stamp program (which is rorted to buggery), there is zero support for people in genuine need of a hand.

When people have nothing left to lose, they lose it...

[XB GS 351 Coupe]

Originally Posted by Loud_Noises

Oh that unwavering faith in the perfect legal system...

Unlike here in Australia, the US welfare system whilst consuming a massive portion of tax receipts, does almost nothing for the genuinely poor and disadvantaged. Besides the food stamp program (which is rorted to buggery), there is zero support for people in genuine need of a hand.

So you are suggesting these people were simply walking down street and a bored copper came along and decided to frame them and make up some offences, to send them off to prison??

I must just be lucky, have never been arrested or charged or even fined when I was doing nothing wrong....may be I am just one of the lucky ones

[Trump]

Originally Posted by XB GS 351 Coupe

So you are suggesting these people were simply walking down street and a bored copper came along and decided to frame them and make up some offences, to send them off to prison??

I must just be lucky, have never been arrested or charged or even fined when I was doing nothing wrong....may be I am just one of the lucky ones

When someone is that hard up to simply feed himself that they have to resort to stealing a feed thats how. With any form of theft in the US fast becoming declared a felony, jail time is inevitable.

I've experienced the US "welfare" system first hand and this sort of thing is commonplace.

[Ansith]

That guy is possibly one of the worst people to be running a prison. They send people into that place for very minor things.

People are in Prison as punishment, not for punishment.

[Pepscobra]

The responses so far have surprised me.

[superyob]

Many claims being made in favour of these prisoners with no evidence given as to why they are incarcerated... This is commonly called hearsay and opinion, not fact...

[FGII-XR6]

I really feel he is going a bit far. Although there is a valid case for not being soft on criminals there are a number of important factors that the redneck element just don't get

1. Imprisonment is managed by the department of CORRECTIONS , the aim is to reduce reoffending not to punish. measures like this breed resentment leading to rebellion and a failure of the corrective function of prisons.
2. the current economic climate in the US has lead to a dramatic increase in the prison population , the get a job brigade have no idea. the jobs aren't there and they don't have a never ending welfare system like Australia has. when you run out of your allocated time on welfare you have very few options other than crime to support yourself . not all the prison population in the US are career drugged crims, some are family men trying to feed their family.
3. the legal system in the US is very different to Australia if you upset the wrong person in some of the backwater counties you can find yourself in prison on a trumped up charge that you will eventually beat but while on remand you are set up for further charges while there. these corrupt counties do exist.
4. offences that would result in a fine or community service here can attract a lengthy prison term in the US

how many of you who are on your high horse would steal if there was no food for your children and no prospect of even a menial job?
your child needs surgery or faces death you have no health insurance due to unemployment , you have had your house reposed so you can't borrow against it. therefore can't get the surgery so you have 2 choices in the American health system pay up big dollars you don't have or your child dies. do you steal to save the life of your child in a system that will not help ( we don't realise how good medicare is)
it is not as black and white as it first seems but some here would have the death penalty for illegal parking

[superyob]

I understand your point au3xr6, that is not my issue. My issue is the many assumptions being made that are passed off as 'fact'... as I said before, opinion and hearsay are not factual and cannot be taken seriously in these discussions...

[jpblue1000]

Where does it actually say Sheriff Joe Arpaiois punishing or even treating inmates badly. It does state he is being economical but not abusive.
if a meal can be had that cheap at his prison I dare say the cost of food at other prisons is of a similar low order. I doubt he has managed a saving of multiple dollars. I'm also assuming labor for preparing the meal is free and when you buy in bulk and meals for 10,000 inmare sis bulk its easy to make a meal really cheap.
Only downside with his plan is on a vegetarian diet those 'real bad crims' will live longer

JP

[Ansith]

Originally Posted by jpblue1000

Where does it actually say Sheriff Joe Arpaiois punishing or even treating inmates badly. It does state he is being economical but not abusive.

There's much more about this guy all over the internet. I don't really consider chain gangs to be acceptable, but that's something that he does pretty often. If you add that to only feeding them twice a day, I think he's going way too far.

[Maka]

"Pinky" Joe Arpaio is just trying to deter future inmates from offending & balance his books at the same time. Memo to future Arizona prisoners - BYO ketchup, salt & pepper & best behaviour or else lol!

cheers, Maka

[BHDOGS]

I think he's not going far enough being in prison isn't punishment unless it's hard and
Sucks to be there chain away joe chain away

[Franco Cozzo]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJMR56H6MA0

That guy spent a few years in jail without ever being convicted of anything?

The system isn't perfect, so people end up in jail not just because they actually did commit a serious offence.

[Pedro]

If any of the bleeding hearts posters bothered to check out the Joe Arpaio story, they would find some startling results in his form of rehabilitation. In 1992, Arpaio successfully campaigned to become the Sheriff of Maricopa County. Since then he has been re-elected to an unprecedented six 4-year terms. During his tenure as Sheriff of Maricopa County, Arpaio has consistently earned high public approval ratings.
If your house is burgled like mine has been three times with priceless family memories gone forever, or if one of your family is violated, you may form a different opinion.

[George1861]

The inmates are housed in tents and wear pink uniforms, not really "punishment", but an incentive not to come back. Many Africans live on a dollar a day in food.

[XB GS 351 Coupe]

You don't have to be perfect not to go to prison, you just don't have to be a criminal. I love how people always come up with excuses like, if your shild was dying would you steal to save it and other similar BS.

Really how many people do you believe are in prison because someone was stealing to save their child's life or similar sob story

Most people are in prison because they are too lazy to go to work, we all start off naked with nothing and then we make choices, I have never been given a single thing, started collecting trollies after school at 15 to buy my first car at 17, had a job working 70 plus hours a week for ten years to pay my first house off, travelled all over the country for work and still do 20 years later, currently doing a three year work assignment in a remote country location, where the closest shop or servo is 100km away, working 10-15 hour days while others chose to laze around and play video games. but in return I just purchased 2.5 acres in Port Maquarie and payed cash, but geez I am so lucky because I get to bust my balls, decided to stay here longer till I can build the house and shed I want.

There is work around but it just won't come to you, you have to get up and find it and then go there every day and bust your balls to get somewhere.

Most prisoners are not locked up because they wanted to save their dying child, or sick grandmother, they are there because the are lazy scum looking for the easy way out.

[Streets]

Originally Posted by Pedro

If any of the bleeding hearts posters bothered to check out the Joe Arpaio story, they would find some startling results in his form of rehabilitation.

this is good advice, as a "bleeding heart" I had a look into arpaio and WAS startled in what I found

most of arpaio's inmates are detainees awaiting trial; they are innocent until proven guilty but their constitutional rights are violated anyway

he clears 75% of his cases without arrest or proper investigation, including more than 400 sex crimes and 32 child molestations

arpaio uses public funding and police resources to investigate his political rivals, which include mayors, judges, attorneys general, a school superintendent, and a newspaper editor

he spent 100 million dollars of public funding (that was meant to go towards detention facilities) on these investigations and to take his officers on trips to a fishing resort in Alaska and to Disneyland

arpaio charged an 18 year-old with plotting to kill arpaio with a pipe bomb; after the man had spent four years in jail it was discovered that arpaio's detectives had bought the bomb parts themselves and entrapped the 18yo

he racially profiles latinos; his officers pull them up and question them under suspicion of being illegal aliens despite having no probable cause for intercepting them, violating their constitutional rights

that's just what I learned in about 10 minutes reading

the guy is a grub who doesn't deserve to manage a hungry jacks much less a law enforcement agency

[superyob]

Originally Posted by Streets

this is good advice, as a "bleeding heart" I had a look into arpaio and WAS startled in what I found

most of arpaio's inmates are detainees awaiting trial; they are innocent until proven guilty but their constitutional rights are violated anyway

he clears 75% of his cases without arrest or proper investigation, including more than 400 sex crimes and 32 child molestations

arpaio uses public funding and police resources to investigate his political rivals, which include mayors, judges, attorneys general, a school superintendent, and a newspaper editor

he spent 100 million dollars of public funding (that was meant to go towards detention facilities) on these investigations and to take his officers on trips to a fishing resort in Alaska and to Disneyland

arpaio charged an 18 year-old with plotting to kill arpaio with a pipe bomb; after the man had spent four years in jail it was discovered that arpaio's detectives had bought the bomb parts themselves and entrapped the 18yo

he racially profiles latinos; his officers pull them up and question them under suspicion of being illegal aliens despite having no probable cause for intercepting them, violating their constitutional rights

that's just what I learned in about 10 minutes reading

the guy is a grub who doesn't deserve to manage a hungry jacks much less a law enforcement agency

If this is such common knowledge, something you have stated as 'fact' after 10 minutes of internet research, how does he get away with it? I find these claims questionable...

[Pedro]

^^^ Well the electors of Maricopa County have disagreed with your point of view for the past 24 years.

[FGII-XR6]

Originally Posted by Pedro

^^^ Well the electors of Maricopa County have disagreed with your point of view for the past 24 years.

the way a bunch of rednecks votes impresses me. remember that in the US you can be elected by less that 10% of the adult population if that's all that shows up to vote. This shows how bad our compulsory voting system that gets a true cross section is

[superyob]

Originally Posted by au3xr6

the way a bunch of rednecks votes impresses me. remember that in the US you can be elected by less that 10% of the adult population if that's all that shows up to vote. This shows how bad our compulsory voting system that gets a true cross section is

Not sure what you mean here...

[FGII-XR6]

Originally Posted by superyob

Not sure what you mean here...

It's called sarcasm, look it up

[superyob]

Originally Posted by au3xr6

It's called sarcasm, look it up

Yes I am more than familiar with sarcasm. I'm still not sure what you mean...

[aussiblue]

Having in the distant past worked as a volunteer small business adviser in the prison system helping selected near model prisoner plan to start a small business after prison (noting that prison record makes it very difficult to get a job) my observations are:

a) most of the research shows that it is near impossible to rehabilitate people while they are in prison; that has to happen after they are released;
b) prison is mostly about society's demands for revenge, punishment and deterrents (that latter works to an extent); but its also about protecting the rest of us from habitual criminals;
c) At the time I was involved, based on those subsequently proved innocent, and jail talk (prisoners often know who is innocent as their crime connection tell them about the guilty person still outside) about 5% of criminal in WA jails were innocent of the crime they were convicted of; although 3% of that 5% are probably habitual criminals that should be inside for another crime;
d) Once police officers convince themselves that someone is guilty is too easy for them, and often almost unconsciously, fabricate the evidence or collect a volume of circumstantial evidence;
e) once you have a criminal record you remain a suspect for any similar crimes once you are released;
f) At the extremes some of it is almost a class war; some of those with little hope of jobs and coming out of poverty perceive they will never have cars, jobs own homes etc. and therefore justify their stealing this way; One positive of the program I was involved in was that it made the prisoners understand that running a small business or being self employed involved hard work and wasn't a wealth guarantee - it increased their respect for other property etc.
g) Prison is an extremely unpleasant place to be (even as a volunteer visitor) even in minimum security prison farms.
h) Prisoners cook the food and most are not cordon bleu chefs or the least bit hygiene focussed.
i) There but for the grace of god go I; aside from those who had a tragic DD conviction after their first drinking episode others are emotional crimes that are almost understandable - for example what would you do if you came home and found your wife in bed with your best friend?
j) the majority of those involved in the small business project as volunteers turned out to be terminally ill and trying to earn brownie points before they died; only one other person of the dozen or so involved had other motives (my motive was part charity part keeping my small business advisory skills honed) and it is very difficult to get people to give charitable assistance to prisoners or volunteer help or dollars.

[XB GS 351 Coupe]

Originally Posted by aussiblue

Having in the distant past worked as a volunteer small business adviser in the prison system helping selected near model prisoner plan to start a small business after prison :

I am guessing many are in there in the first place because they were running a small business dealing drugs or selling property stolen from our houses, garages and cars, so I am guessing many would have a small business background already

On a serious note how many were receptive of the idea of hard work and earning an honest living through getting out of bed every morning and working??

How many successful businesses were set up using this approach compared to how many just went back to lazing around and stealing and robbing and dealing drugs.

[rog xc]

Originally Posted by XB GS 351 Coupe

On a serious note how many were receptive of the idea of hard work and earning an honest living through getting out of bed every morning and working??

Everyday since I was 17. Even whilst on bail, right up to the day before I went to jail. Spent 16 months there, then everyday bar six months since being released & paroled in 2007.

Was arrested once, Charged once, 17 months bail, various court appearances then jailed. Was never in trouble before, or since. I was a "law abiding citizen" but even they break the law occasionally.