Arizona sheriff introduces all female chain gang

[cali]

By Nick Allen, Arizona 9:00PM GMT 02 Jan 2011

Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who oversees the police force in Maricopa County, Arizona, which includes the city of Phoenix, has re-introduced chain gangs for women prisoners after an earlier experiment with men.

The female chain gang performs tasks including burying the dead in paupers’ graves and clearing wasteland in scorching heat over 100F (38C).

At night the women are not allowed to sleep inside, bedding down instead under surplus Second World War Army tents on tarmac outside Estrella Jail, where temperatures fall below freezing in winter.

Bianca Jazo, 29, a former bank teller with a five year-old son, was arrested after police found drug paraphernalia in her car.

Wielding a shovel on a sun baked patch of land outside Phoenix, she said: “Some people won’t leave their dogs out in this heat but they leave us out in it.

<snip>

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/8236125/Arizona-sheriff-introduces-all-female-chain-gang.html

[panader0]

1. Gawd, what a blotch on this state

as if McCain, Kyl and Brewer weren't enough.

[midnight armadillo]

4. not to mention their entire legislature

which probably comes in #2 in utter dysfunction, after New York.

[Fumesucker]

2. If any OP ever deserved it, this one does..

:popcorn:

Mass quantities of :popcorn:



:hide:

:hi:

[mzteris]

3. that man is a sick sadistic bastard.

Why isn't HE in jail yet?

[malaise]

5. The private prison racket

I wish the scumbags all that is bad

[pinboy3niner]

10. This isn't even private--it's public

It's part of the county jail system, which is part of Arpaio's domain as Sheriff.

[Hannah Bell]

33. that doesn't mean that private parties aren't profiting from the labor.

public prisons selling contract labor to private industry has a long history. it was big in the south after the civil war and lots of nascent industries took advantage of it.

[onehandle]

6. The South has Risen Again. nt

[blondeatlast]

26. I call him Bull Arpaio. nt

[juajen]

7. You see, this country practices torture. Disgusting for men or women, by the way. NT

[Cid_B]

8. Meh....

Thought this was already in effect years ago.

[hughee99]

9. If they're doing chain gangs for men, why not for women too?

Yes, they SHOULDN'T be doing this shit for anyone, but if they do it for men, why not for women too?

[WinkyDink]

25. Really? Because you believe women are equal to men with physical labor?

Because you think most women are in for crimes comparable to men's?
Because you would see no difference between your father at these tasks and your mother at same?

[hughee99]

38. What does the crimes have to do with anything?

You have women in this article convicted of many of the same things you find people on men's chain gangs convicted of, but in either case, what does that matter? Is it okay to treat someone inhumanely because of their crime or gender?

As for men and women being equal, we can usually find someone to argue that they are or are not equal based on the subject ("women in combat" vs. "chain gangs" for example).

[TheMadMonk]

55. No, but the difference is not as great as Victorian thinking would...

...have us believe. Ask any farmer's wife.

Irrelevant. The PURPOSE of prison is (theoretically at least) the same for all inmates regardless of their gender.

Hmmm, read your pioneer literature. I've never noticed many men involving themselves in making head cheeses or rendering tallow. Nor in stirring a copper full of linen exactly a light task. Funnily enough, when it comes to dirty filthy tasks, traditionally, men tend to be rather conspicuous in their absence.

Look back through most of history and you will discover the "disipated weak woman" you indirectly allude to is an artefact of dispated rich bastards proving what rich bastards they are. Men might surpass women in their peak power output, there is little to distinguish between the sexes in the number of calories either burns in the course of a daily grind.


Pardon, but your sexism is showing.

And please note this is solely addressing the points raised.

On the larger subject, I'm not automatically opposed to prison labour. Although, it should never go towards ANY private enterprise. Digging pauper's graves (under appropriate conditions) is in fact exactly the sort of useful task prisoners can be doing without lining someone's pockets. Cleaning up waterways and derelict properties. Tasks that should be done, but aren't because there's no money to be had in doing them.

Regarding the conditions mentioned in the OP. They are harsh but not exceptional, and plenty of ordinary working stiffs endure the same bringing home their share of the bacon.

But Sherrif Joe? Now that's a name. Any project that he's behind it? There's fuck all that's likely to be "right" about the way it's run, no matter what it might look like on the surface.

[Hannah Bell]

31. they shouldn't be doing it for anyone. it's a gulag.

[pinboy3niner]

39. Who advocates for equal opportunity chain gangs?

Cool Hand Luke wasn't bad enough--now we want equality for Cool Hand Lucy? How is either justifiable?

What we have here is a failure to communicate...

[hughee99]

41. Not me, I'm just commenting on the OP's article

It seems to me like the article is pointed toward directing attention toward women's chain gangs as opposed to chain gangs in general. The problem ISN'T that women are on chain gangs, it's that there are chain gangs at all.

[Zanzobar]

11. I've tried to figure it out. Why is this wrong?

[prolesunited]

15. Think a little harder

or do you leave your "animals" out in the freezing cold or sizzling sun?

I don't know how his ass remains in office or out of jail.

[Zanzobar]

19. We always left our dogs out

In Michigan, in the middle of winter, in a little dog house with some straw on the floor. Same in the summer.

I don't have a dog now, but I don't reckon it would hurt them.

One of the ladies in the article said she preferred working on the chain gang to solitary.

[Name removed]

21. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Zanzobar]

34. That's a large mouthful you've come up with.

First,

I am opposed to drug prohibitions. They don't work, and putting people in jail for violating them is counter productive.

Second, If your position can't be summarized without projecting sexual fantasies on me, you need to work the kinks out of your argument.

I think what you call retribution might also be considered reconciliation. When you harm society, you should make society whole. Picking up litter and burying dead bodies might be considered a form of that.

As for the hot and cold, it may be a little strenuous, but it's not torture. Anybody who has camped in the winter or hiked the AT in summer can tell you that.

[pinboy3niner]

50. I think you miss the point

Animal rights may be a popular issue at DU. But we usually refrain from comparing human beings to dogs. As much as we may love our dogs, for example, we still find outrageous the idea of elderly people being forced to eat dog food. Even if "it wouldn't hurt them."

We also wouldn't consider bedding down people on a bed of straw outside in the cold humane.

Forced labor in extreme temperatures is something we associate with Soviet gulags, not with the U.S. justice system. Arpaio's tents reach 130 degrees in the summer sun. You may choose to hike in such conditions, but how would you feel about being forced to do it?

His prisoners were sentenced to confinement, not to burying the dead--that is merely his sadistic twist.

Courts have sentenced some offenders to picking up litter. But what's different in this case is that Arpaio is arbitrarily adding extra-judicial punishment beyond court-imposed sentences.

[Zanzobar]

58. They're not gulags

I've read Solzhenitsyn and Dostoyevski. Their books describe gulags.

You probably know that people died by the tens of thousands from malnutrition, disease, and abuse. The offenders in Arizona may sweat, or may have to throw on an extra blanket at night. It's really not the same as a gulag.

And I don't think their treatment is "cruel and unusual" punishment. When people make a living digging holes, in hard to claim it's cruel and unusual to make inmates dig holes. It might be another matter if they were forced to embalm the bodies or perform autopsies, but as far as I can tell they're digging holes and performing other menial labor in the hot sun.

When I was young I worked on a paving crew in Florida. It was not uncommon to be standing over a 350 degree pile of asphalt, shoving all day long in +100 degree temps. We all survived. Every one of us. We drank extra water and took breaks in the shade. I don't consider the Arizona inmates' treatment cruel or unusual.

Surely, it sucks big time.

[Hannah Bell]

22. no words

please tell me the difference between this & a gulag?

women prisoners working outside all day & sleeping in tents in subfreezing temps?

you're a democrat you say

[WinkyDink]

29. No. He joined DU, but.......

[Zanzobar]

35. But what?

I know the rules. Do you?

[prolesunited]

43. And you obviously use them to your advantage.

:hi:

[Zanzobar]

44. The rules are for us all

Not just those with fewer than 1000 posts

[cleanhippie]

66. Oh, SNAP!

[WinkyDink]

28. Oh, you "don't reckon," is that it? I'll bet you "don't reckon" MUCH more than this.

[ChazII]

63. Off topic, I know, however

Sheriff Joe has kicked the humans out of jail and placed dogs and cats in them during the hot summer months.

[WinkyDink]

27. WOMEN digging graves. WOMEN made to sleep outside. DEGRADED for what are likely

NON-violent crimes.

It should happen to your mother.

[Zanzobar]

36. Digging graves is not degrading.

Jeez. People do it for a living.

[RB TexLa]

47. The gender doesn't make any difference

[Ghost in the Machine]

54. You prefer they stay home, barefoot & pregnant??

What, exactly, is your point? Women commit crimes, too. Why should their punishment be any different than that of a man who is in for the same crime?

"DEGRADED for what are likelyNON-violent crimes."

So, you don't even know what most of them are charged with? I know 2 women, a mother and daughter, who are in jail right now for killing the daughter's boyfriend, then telling the cops it was an accidental shooting. Too bad they bragged to the wrong person about killing him, huh? Those poor women, having to pay for their crimes... and stuff.

Did you know that *most* chain-gangs and road clean-up crews are voluntary? That inmates actually BEG to be put on them, because it gets them out of their cell for most of the day? Do you actually know anything about prison life? Do you actually know anyone serving time in a jail or prison?

I don't think anyone should be locked up, much less even prosecuted, for drugs, but it is what it is right now. You seem to be making the argument that *women* shouldn't even have to pay for their crimes, or, if they do, they should get special treatment because they're poor, helpless, defenseless women. Would you care to clarify your point, please?

[DatManFromNawlins]

65. Who cares?

If someone is sentenced to hard labor, then this seems to fit the nature of the penalty. If they aren't, then they shouldn't be out there.

Gender should have nothing to do with it. I personally think that prisons should be first and foremost centers of rehabilitation, but as long as they aren't, then I have no problem with women shouldering the same burden as men.

[cali]

37. It;s dehumanizing. It's demeaning. It can lead to real health problems

that's just for starters.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

56. If you don't see the wrongness within 0.00000000001 seconds, there's no hope for you. -nt

[Orsino]

59. Because of the cruelty, and the pandering to those who think it's okay. n/t

[jody]

12. October 29, 2003 CNN reports "Sheriff Joe Arpaio boasts that he runs the only all-female chain gang"

http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/Southwest/10/29/chain.gang.reut/

[napi21]

13. Isn't there a way some group can sue him & the state for

inhumane treatment? So,e group like the ACLU? I'm actually surprised that someone hasn't sued him already for the things he's done in the past!

[pinboy3niner]

17. His jails already are under court supervision

Sheriff Joe Told to Clean Up His Jails — Again.
http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2010/10/14/sheriff-joe-told-to-clean-up-his-jails-again/

[Posteritatis]

30. Considering he's not in one of them, it's obviously not enough supervision.. (nt)

[pinboy3niner]

32. A most excellent point!

The other ongoing investigations should be coming to fruition soon. Keep your fingers crossed! :)

[Warren DeMontague]

14. Remember, these are dangerous violent criminals- the worst of the worst.

Like, the lady arrested for drug paraphernalia in her car.

:eyes:

[derby378]

20. Which could have been, well...

...what? An actual meth pipe? Or just a soda can with a hole punched in it?

[Hannah Bell]

23. glad joe's keeping me safe from the likes of her.

[Cid_B]

45. Yeah.. freakin angels...

"Esther Ann Brewer, 33, who got a five year term for stealing a BMW and taking police on a high speed chase."

They aren't huddled up like dogs under the night sky. They have a tent...

There may be issues with prison labor undercutting private market but actually making prisoners work is something I have no problem with.

[Warren DeMontague]

48. I'm not saying car thieves shouldn't go to prison. Pot smokers shouldn't, though.

Making prisoners work? Fine. Putting them out- on a chain gang- in 100+ degree heat? I have my doubts.

And no matter how you slice it, "Sheriff Joe" is a class-A asshole.

[pinboy3niner]

53. Some prisoners are sentenced by a court to pick up litter

Others are sentenced to confinement. Arpaio is arbitrarily imposing extra-judicial punishments beyond what the courts prescribed.

Apart from the problem of the nature of work of 'chain-gang' prisoners in extreme conditions is the fact of a public official arbitrarily and capriciously imposing whatever additional punishment he feels like inflicting, at his whim.

If we can leave punishment up to the local constables, why have courts specify sentences at all?

[Raine]

16. Arpala seems to enjoy this a bit too much

IMO. I find him really creepy. :puke:

[right2bfree]

52. Who is creepier? Joe, or the voters who elect this moron into office? Staying out of AZ. bt

[Orsino]

60. Individually, Joe is.

The morons who voted for him, collectively, get a larger share of the blame, but they won't have to watch these chain gangs.

Sheriff Joe might actually masturbate to such a spectacle, if he bothers to track it at all. He'll probably be too busy stealing.

[RC]

18. That is what you get when you give sociopaths too much power.

The sheriff is the one that needs to be in chains. Give him a 10 taste of his own medicine. Let him 'escape' a few times to extend his sentence. With any luck he will be too old to cause much harm when he is finally turned loose.

[DBoon]

24. I'd be arrested if I treated my dog like this

nt

[Cleita]

40. The good news is, if some intrepid investigative

reporter finds some dirt on Governor Jan Brewer, like taking bribes, laundering money or such, she may end up on that gang.

:evilgrin:

[Odin2005]

42. Arpaio belongs in a chain gaing, the fucker.

[Lionel Mandrake]

46. Amendment VIII to the US Constitution states that

"Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted."

The ACLU should do something about this, if they haven't already.

[somone]

49. Pretty soon Arpaio will introduce gladiator matches

for his viewing pleasure

[Scruffy1]

51. And we worked so hard to get rid of chain gangs..

Back in the sixties there was a lot of pressure put on to eliminate the chain gang. Yes, Sam Cooke's song "Chain Gang"
and the movie "Cool Hand Luke" were part of it. To see it return is heartbreaking. Saw it in Mississippi last summer, too.

When I was young, it was common for people to be put out on a chain gang for minor infractions like vagrancy or disturbing the peace. The sheriff and judges often made a profit from the labor. Sheriff Joe does it just because he's an asshole.

The real question is "Why are we going backwards?" It seems like the "liberals" of today are as backward as the conservatives of forty years ago. Could it be the medias constant propaganda and fear peddling?

[surrealAmerican]

57. Didn't digging graves used to be reasonably well paying ...

... union work? Wasn't it the sort of work a person could support a family on, the sort that mandated breaks and working conditions?

Chain gangs take paying jobs from people who need them.

[Downtown Hound]

61. I'm not trying to pick on you or anything, but this is old news

Joe Arpaio introduced all female chain gangs way back around 1996 or 1997. They've been going on there for a long time.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

62. Have these folks been convicted or are they awaiting trial?

Either way I don't like the idea of this but I think it's even worse if we've got people chained up and being forced to labor when they've only been arrested-- not convicted-- of something.

[Downtown Hound]

64. Well, as I understand it

And I have watched a documentary on Joe Arpaio before, therefore I'm an expert, it's only for convicted inmates that have been placed in lockdown. How it works is that when you're sentenced to jail in Maricopa County, you either go into Joe's tent city or one of the indoor jails, and then if you violate any of the rules (even small ones such as having cigarettes) then you get put in lockdown. 23 hours a day in a cell. The only way to get out of lockdown is to "volunteer" for the chain gang.

So it's not exactly forced labor, it's just that there's very strong incentive given to want to do it. In the documentary I saw, of the women inmates on the chain gang was a young hair dresser who's boyfriend had used her phone to make a drug deal. She pleaded out to a lesser charge to avoid a long prison sentence and ended up with 6 months in the county jail. In every way, shape and form, she was a completely normal woman with a normal job and quite attractive too. Not the kind of woman you'd expect to see on a chain gang, and yet there she was, clad in stripes, marching in cadence, and singing work songs.

It gave me a little bit of insight into the types of "criminals" that are doing time in Joe Arpaio's jails.