Inside America's toughest jail (Brit paper says Sheriff Joe Arpaio's ideas would be great for U.K.)

The Sun (U.K.) ^ | April 28, 2007 | HARRY MACADAM

[Stoat]

Thank you Stoat!

You're welcome  :-)

I live in Europe, and someone with the vision of Sheriff Joe is badly needed here.

Agreed.  I have great concerns for the law-abiding people of Europe and of their safety from crime.

I think private prisons are only being discussed here at the moment, but prisoners have a very pampered existence at the moment. I assume Sheriff J’s establishments are private?

No, the facilities run by Sheriff Arpaio are part of the State of Arizona's penal system, it's not a private entity.  It's taxpayer-funded, and the taxpayers love him.  :-)    Here is his web page, which tells a little bit more about him as well as his program:

Maricopa County Sheriff's Office

 

[Stoat]

By the way, welcome to Free Republic :-)

[nofrills]

Thanks. Great to be here - feel right at home already. Thanks for the info... I had just assumed it was a private prison, because I know there are a lot of them in the US. Do you think they are a good idea? Enjoyed the link. Amazing that the average price of a meal is only 15 cents! No wonder the taxpayers love him... not sure about the prisoners tho! ;-)

[Stoat]

Thanks for the info.

You're quite welcome  :-)

 I had just assumed it was a private prison, because I know there are a lot of them in the US. Do you think they are a good idea?

I am an unrepentant Capitalist (who nurtures a visceral antipathy of Socialism)  and so I will generally favor the private operation of most things.  However, Sheriff Arpaio demonstrates that in this specific matter, what is most important is the management philosophy of the enterprise.  He's doing the job far more efficiently than any private prison has managed managed to that I've heard of, but I suppose that doesn't mean that a private prison couldn't do things as well as he does.....we just have yet to see it.  Actually, in a matter such as this, it might be easier for it to be accomplished under the umbrella of a Government entity because in Arizona and in many (or all? ) other US states a Sheriff is an elected position, and so would probably be more difficult for detractors to remove than a private company, who could conceivably be quickly replaced with another private company with a different management philosophy if a Government overseer were to be subjected to too much pressure.  The ACLU has been after Sheriff Arpaio for years, but he just brushes them off like a mildly irritating mosquito and laughs in their faces.....something that a private company would probably not be able to do unless they had far more Government political support than what I've seen in the prison systems so far.  The voters of Maricopa County love Sheriff Arpaio and they keep returning him to office.

 Enjoyed the link. Amazing that the average price of a meal is only 15 cents! No wonder the taxpayers love him... not sure about the prisoners tho! ;-)

Fortunately, upholding the laws of the State of Arizona and maintaining the safety of the law-abiding citizens there is of considerably greater importance to Sheriff Arpaio than the happiness of the criminals under his care. He treats them in a humanitarian way and in accordance with the law, but he makes it abundantly clear that a term spent in his jail is not intended to be equivalent to a stay in a posh resort...it's to serve as due and appropriate punishment for crimes committed.

[ccmay]

I've taught soldiers - maybe I could volunteer.

He'd be happy to have you. The Maricopa County Sheriff's Posse is one of the most active in the country. There is a mounted unit, jeep unit, EMT unit, airplane unit, mountain search & rescue unit, ham radio unit, etc. They patrol malls and sporting venues, look for fugitives and missing persons in the desert, and are called out for any kind of emergency. You can even get qualified to carry a pistol on-duty.

-ccm

[Stoat]

There is a mounted unit, jeep unit, EMT unit, airplane unit, mountain search & rescue unit, ham radio unit, etc. They patrol malls and sporting venues, look for fugitives and missing persons in the desert, and are called out for any kind of emergency. You can even get qualified to carry a pistol on-duty.

That's very interesting, thank you for the info  :-)

[sheriffjoe]

Please visit Sheriff Joe’s official Re-Election website. He appreciates your support. http://www.sheriffjoe.org

[JRandomFreeper]

Just DAMN! He's got a no-kill shelter for animals. And it's air-conditioned.

The way a man treats a dog or a cat or a horse is indicative of his morality, in my book.

/johnny

[Stoat]

LMAO :-)

Well-stated and I agree on all counts.

[RoadTest]

I agree. Somebody famous said that, too. I think it was one of our founding fathers.