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118 Comments
- eastwood24, on 01/09/2009, -1/+82I know most of these prisoners are by no means saints, but to cut rations for personal gain is completely unethical. You treat men like animals, they will become animals.
- josh42042, on 01/10/2009, -1/+80“We were shocked to learn that the sheriff had pocketed over $100,000.”
that's taxpayer money. bastard. - hbyrne, on 01/09/2009, -2/+59On the one hand, this story is so disheartening in its exposing the wretched way in which those with power over others so often abuse it. On the other hand, we still live with a system in which there is freedom of the press to uncover such abuses. Good submission.
- Jensaarai, on 01/10/2009, -0/+52If only there were some sort of document, perhaps written when we set up the rules of government, that prohibited such cruel and/or unusual punishment practices as starving your ***** prisoners. Such a document could theoretically supersede this douchebag being allowed to "get away with it" under the law.
I know, it's a pipe dream. But still... - egante, on 01/10/2009, -0/+26 I'm getting a kick out of all these "Just don't go to jail" comments.
Any one can go to jail. It's not prison. A county jail is where people who have been ACCUSED of a crime go to post bail, if they have it, or sit and wait for their court date if they don't.
Not going to happen to you? Let's hope not. But what if some fool swears out a warrant against you? You didn't do 'it', but that warrant means YOU GO TO JAIL. Got bail money in your pocket? Nope? OK, call a friend.
Not home? Into the cell. You can call again from there. Then you find out one of the big money makers for a jail. THE PHONE.
All calls are collect calls and at a larcenous rate/min. Your friend comes to bail you out and guess what? A fee for the warrant, and a booking in fee.
Jails are some thing society needs but they should not be an income stream or they become tempting opportunities for abuse. - willster580, on 01/10/2009, -7/+33Fact: 99% of authority figures are complete douchebags.
- Murdats, on 01/10/2009, -1/+25I thought you had some laws about cruel and unusual punishment.
but screw that right? hell screw the legal system, lets just have mob justice and give police the power of judge and executioner, thats how a civilised society works right? - Drahkir, on 01/10/2009, -1/+25Exactly. It's not like anyone is ever wrongfully accused of a crime they didn't commit. Cops never make mistakes. Just don't get locked up.
- inactive, on 01/10/2009, -1/+24Legend tells of a legendary Constitution whose protection against abuse of power was the stuff of LEGEND! But Bush and Clinton (for starters) wiped their asses w/ it and now it's just a legend.
I have this fantasy of living in a land where the will of the people is not summarily dismissed by the parliamentary flunkies who gobbled the big money interest knobs. - LemonChicken, on 01/10/2009, -2/+25I don't like criminals, but I ***** hate cops.
- griffin7287, on 01/10/2009, -2/+23I know the guy personally. He is a moron and deserves what he has coming to him.
- inactive, on 01/10/2009, -0/+20What's that have to do with starving them for personal gain?
- docbob84, on 01/10/2009, -1/+20It would be one thing if they were being given all the bread and water they could eat, ie they had plenty of food just not necessarily catering to their whims. To starve people is not acceptable punishment in this country. Also, to permanently mutilate is not an acceptable punishment in this country; to drug prisoners into comas is not acceptable punishment in this country. I don't care who you are or what you're guilty of, the government should not systematically starve prisoners.
- SilenceGold, on 01/10/2009, -1/+19One night is really nothing to punish the sheriff. I can live a full night without food.
- FasterGun, on 01/10/2009, -1/+16"One inmate interviewed from the jail, William Draper, said he had lost 15 pounds since his incarceration on marijuana trafficking charges in October."
oh my god that brute
how dare he have the sheer human indecency to traffic weed? I dont know if youve heard or not, but marijuana is the reason our white women lust after those negros. - fmaxwell, on 01/10/2009, -0/+15You realize that there are people in jail for using weed at rock concerts? Others are there for speeding or wreckless driving. Others are in jail awaiting trial and will be found innocent.
Who the ***** are you to say that we should starve people? You dick. - CrimsonBlur, on 01/10/2009, -3/+17Are you kidding me? Try living off that, and just that, for lunch every day for months or years; it's not going to happen. The little bag lunch you ate as a child in grade school is not enough for a grown person.
There are days when I eat that little for lunch, but it's not consistent, and I'm positive I have more to eat for dinner on those days than these inmates get.
It's not that some of the meals are small, it's that they're always less than what they should get, consistently. That's going to cause major health problems. It's not like everyone in jail is there for murder or rape, some of these guys are there for minor infractions or ***** like possession of marijuana.
Not only are his actions clearly in violation of the constitution (I don't care what loophole their local laws give), it's grossly unethical for him to deny inmates their normal meal rations so he can pocket the extra cash. - importfr87, on 01/09/2009, -1/+15I love how people always try to get away wih this *****, nice plan.
- fmaxwell, on 01/10/2009, -0/+13Sometimes people who go to jail have broken no laws at all.
This may come as a giant-*****-shock to you, but the legal system is not perfect. Innocent men are jailed while guilty ones roam free. People who have committed minor, victimless crimes find themselves in prison. You don't starve a man to death because he sold some weed.
In prison, they have a word for men like you: bitch. - harvinator24, on 01/10/2009, -1/+14Sheriff Joe is one of the biggest ***** in America right now.
- solstice21, on 01/10/2009, -0/+13Wow. I hope you've never in your entire life jaywalked or eaten two grapes at the supermarket. Otherwise you would deserve to starve for your own hypocrisy.
This is why I'm weary of people who roll lawful neutral. - cfuse, on 01/10/2009, -1/+14I wouldn't starve an animal. I would however starve the sheriff responsible until he lost 30 pounds. I'd also force him to repay the money he stole.
- xero69, on 01/10/2009, -0/+12Starving prisoners and pocketing taxpayer money intended to feed those prisoners is inexcusable. Then I read that he SOLD FOOD to the prisoners in his overpriced store while starving them and I realized the true extent of douchebaggery going on in his jail. I wish the judge would have put the sheriff on a starvation diet.
- gernblansted, on 01/10/2009, -0/+12What will keep you from ending up in jail if you are falsely accused and convicted?
- BigAmish, on 01/10/2009, -1/+13Yet another black eye on my town in the New Year. Just before they threw the sheriff in jail, we had a city police officer arrested in Las Vegas after staging a fight in his office and going missing for a week. He ran off with city money to gamble.
Link: http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2009/01/missing_decatu ...
I live about four blocks from the county jail, and about 6 from the city police station. I am so very proud of our protectors. </sarcasam> - ohearn, on 01/10/2009, -0/+12The $1.75 rate was set in 1939 when the law passed and has never been increased, so yeah kinda crazy.
Also it is the choice of the county commisioners whether they handle the budget or the sherriff. The problem is that a lot of counties lose money and so make it the sherriff's problem. If it is the sherriff's duty, yes they get the money, but providing the expenses also comes out of thier personal pocket if they are over budget and the county does not reimburse them. A lot of sherriffs lose money this way across the state. The good news is that the sherriff is not required to bid contracts to vendors for 6 months to a year at a time like the county is and can shop around for values as prices go up and down.
Yes, this sherriff sounds pretty bad. I live just a county or two over from there and it has been getting a lot of local coverage, and none of it makes this guy sound good. Also a judge had already ordered him to feed the prsioners better in the past, contempt of court for not following that court order was what got the man arrested. - bluetigerbc, on 01/10/2009, -0/+11you are who you choose to become. the sherrif was SOOOOO bad they put him in jail for not serving the inmate's basic needs.
it's not everyone else's fault the sherrif was a bad person. no excuses for him. totally agree ;) - PoizonFrog, on 01/09/2009, -4/+15We've become a nation of reptiles...it's one of the few things we can do successfully. We even failed at greed, and got our asses pwned by the Chinese...
- exgiexpcv, on 01/10/2009, -0/+11Hey, he was arrested, he's looking at doing time. He personally may have screwed up, but I consider a win that he was caught and charged. I wish it hadn't taken so long, but the law on the books allowed him to do this.
- anthonyconrod, on 01/10/2009, -0/+10"Under the law, sheriffs are permitted to keep -- as personal income -- money left over after purchasing food for inmates" - From CNN
This is sick... Something is very very wrong. - inactive, on 01/10/2009, -0/+10Next thing you know they will be put to work building V2 rockets.
- inactive, on 01/10/2009, -3/+13That's inhumane. Feed the bastard to the inmates.
- jessehadden, on 01/10/2009, -1/+11People in America have this notion that going to prison is like going to some nice, expensive resort with cable TV. I hear this meme expressed a lot especially in conservative circles.
That's the jail you go to if you're well-connected, have money, and committed a crime that hurt hundreds or thousands of people. If you sell a bag of weed, you go to a veritable third-world prison, where anal rape is considered an unofficial part of the punishment. We should be ashamed. - HBeeOh, on 01/10/2009, -0/+9I spent a little over a month in county (not the one in the article) and it's almost all DUI, probation violators and people who are behind on child support. Anyone there who is due to serve more than two years is tagged up in a special jumpsuit and kept away from everyone else. There is no anal-rapage (if the prospect of two-years without sex moves you to switch teams and become a sexual offender you have serious problems). People put blankets over the cell door when they are taking a dump and courtesy flushing is highly encouraged.
And you get HUNGRY. I can go almost a full day on the outside without eating but I remember always being hungry as hell and that was three adequate (relatively speaking) meals a day from the jail and commissary. Can't imagine if they were skimping on the food. - emt1451, on 01/10/2009, -2/+11I thought for sure this story was going to be about Sheriff Joe before I clicked on it. That guy needs to go.
- griffin7287, on 01/10/2009, -0/+9Yes, I do. I'd be more than happy to explain it to you if you'd like. However, I get the feeling you are just trying to be a *****.
- bluetigerbc, on 01/10/2009, -1/+10ya give it to a corrupt cop. tax payer money gets wasted like this every day.
only /w open and accountable govt can we hope to pull ourselves out of sh1t like this.
open source gov't/open source in 90% of our society should help the democracy evolve to a REAL one (as usa does NOT, currently, have one...they got police state and no one can call the govt on their sh1t for fear of imprisonment. the people serve the state, rarely does it serve back - pittpat, on 01/10/2009, -0/+8most of our counties in Alabama have this same law on the books! The more impoverished the county, the more it goes on..or used to.
- ohearn, on 01/10/2009, -0/+8It is the choice of the county commisioners whether they handle the budget or the sherriff. The problem is that a lot of counties lose money on feeding inmates and so make it the sherriff's problem. If it is the sherriff's duty, yes they get the money, but providing the expenses also comes out of thier personal pocket if they are over budget and the county does not reimburse them. A lot of sherriffs lose money this way across the state. The good news is that the sherriff is not required to bid contracts to vendors for 6 months to a year at a time like the county is and can shop around for values as prices go up and down.
Yes, this sherriff sounds pretty bad. I live just a county or two over from there and it has been getting a lot of local coverage, and none of it makes this guy sound good. Also a judge had already ordered him to feed the prsioners better in the past, contempt of court for not following that court order was what got the man arrested. - sykotik, on 01/10/2009, -0/+8I agree with your statement wholeheartedly.
My only regret in reading the article is that he wasn't put in jail with the general population, or longer than a night. I think he would have learned a lesson he wouldn't soon forget. Deservedly so. - smotpoker, on 01/10/2009, -0/+8You don't have to be convicted for most crimes to get arrested, just accused. They justify arresting you because you might be a danger to others or a flight risk (unless you have the money to offset the value of justice/safety, of course).
Most people end up pleading guilty in arraignment just so they don't have to wait in jail longer for a trial unless they are facing a charge that would lock them up longer than a trial would take anyway or they can afford a real lawyer and to bail out.
In some cases you can go to court faster if you are willing to forgo a jury but Judges always side with the accuser unless you have solid proof you are innocent. Anyway, the point is: if you don't have money saved up and/or aren't living in your home city/state, chances are you can end up in jail for a while without hard evidence or a conviction - in fact, it's pretty common - fmaxwell, on 01/10/2009, -0/+8"Reckless driving" (not "wreckless"). I'm really not illiterate -- just tired.
- sykotik, on 01/10/2009, -0/+8Sweeping generalizations get you nowhere. Suppose a man was locked up for stealing bread because he was starving? I've been there, I wasn't locked up, but I was seriously considering robbing a store. In the end, I shop lifted some food after wandering around a grocery store during the busiest hours and eating what I could. But I would be damned, by my own standards, morals even, if I would hurt anyone. I couldn't ever hurt anyone for my own selfish reasons. Even if I was starving.
That low-point in my life will be near to my heart and up front in my mind for the rest of my existence, and is the reason I now enjoy success in life.
Yes, you sir, have a closed, ignorant mind. Please, open your eyes, and see PAST the tip of your own nose. It's a wide, beautiful, and strange world we live in. - greeniemeani, on 01/10/2009, -0/+8Whoah...I didn't ever think there would be an article about Decatur, Alabama in the NY Times or on Digg.
Dugg! - r0g3r, on 01/10/2009, -0/+7This guy only got one day in jail? Wow.
- fmaxwell, on 01/10/2009, -0/+7@ kingatrock:
"No, its not everyone elses fault you are who you chose to become. No more excuses plz."
Then I hope you get jailed for some minor charge and then are starved and brutally ass-raped to death. - york2600, on 01/10/2009, -2/+9As insane as $1.75 seems it really doesn't take that much to feed a person in a cafeteria. I'm working for the US government right now and they publish the costs to feed us every week, per person, per day. It's generally around $8 with a high in the teens for thanksgiving. This week they spent $7.19 per person.
- solstice21, on 01/10/2009, -0/+6So wait, wait, wait, you're suggesting it's cool to arbitrarily and randomly dish out punishment as a "wake up call" to everyone to "stop being a moron"
That's sadistic as hell, man.
Please don't ever have kids.
It's painful to envision random groundings and spankings based on the logic that it's most likely deserving. I'm sure that your kids would "stop being morons" real quick since they'd be too busy going out of their way to make a point that they're not breaking the rules. Of course even then, "Hey I can't find my cell phone. One of the kids must have pawned it for drug money" and bam, no prom for Susie. Of course when you find it under the couch later, it's all good cause Susie needed a wake up call just in case she was planning to pawn your stuff for drugs.
You sir, have just inflicted an anxiety disorder. - Sublex, on 01/10/2009, -0/+61% margin of error.
- bluetigerbc, on 01/10/2009, -0/+6instead of the wasted time in jail these inmates could REALLY use the work growing their own food, not costing taxpayers anything, and contributing to society.
would rather see them growing food then taking jobs at below min wage (should be illegal the slave labour prison market going on).
mod parent UP!!! -
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