Prison Misconduct: Gang Member Does Drug-Trafficking Amongst Other Things with Some Help (Baltimore: 2013, to buy)

[justtitans]

It speaks for itself

13 corrections officers indicted in Md., accused of aiding gang’s drug scheme - The Washington Post

Thirteen female corrections officers essentially handed over control of a Baltimore jail to gang leaders, prosecutors said. The officers were charged Tuesday in a federal racketeering indictment.

The indictment described a jailhouse seemingly out of control. Four corrections officers became pregnant by one inmate. Two of them got tattoos of the inmate’s first name, Tavon — one on her neck, the other on a wrist.

The guards allegedly helped leaders of the Black Guerilla Family run their criminal enterprise in jail by smuggling cellphones, prescription pills and other contraband in their underwear, shoes and hair. One gang leader allegedly used proceeds to buy luxury cars, including a Mercedes-Benz and a BMW, which he allowed some of the officers to drive.

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

Nothing new.

[boomtownfunlover]

Headline on the front page this morning: " LAWMAKERS CALL FOR ACTION ON CORRUPTION". Really? You're kidding, right?

[justtitans]

Originally Posted by HandsUpThumbsDown

Nothing new.

And shouldn't that bother people?

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

Originally Posted by pgtvatitans

And shouldn't that bother people?

Sure it should! It's just not new. I can remember a similar mass indictment a few years ago.

The problem is that the rest of the state sees this as Baltimore's problem. But they truly have no idea the scope of these gangs (or one in particular, BGF) throughout the state and region. There is no way the Baltimore cops can legitimately interfere with their operations at this point. This bust was but a flesh wound.

It would take a lot of state (and probably federal) will power to take these folks down. Frankly I don't see that it's there.

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

Originally Posted by boomtownfunlover

Headline on the front page this morning: " LAWMAKERS CALL FOR ACTION ON CORRUPTION". Really? You're kidding, right?

Hehe what paper? I gotta a grab a copy, that's hilarious!

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by pgtvatitans

And shouldn't that bother people?

Look at your own words in the title.

You describe the issue as "misconduct" like littering.
It's a continuing criminal enterprise.

Originally Posted by HandsUpThumbsDown

The problem is that the rest of the state sees this as Baltimore's problem.
This bust was but a flesh wound.

It would take a lot of state (and probably federal) will power to take these folks down.
Frankly I don't see that it's there.

^^What he said.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7M71wmwWRo

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

The attention and blame is being placed on the guards ... which is only half right. If you replaced all of them with the most morally upright persons one could find in Maryland ... enough would succumb to the power, money, gifts (and in the case of some of the ladies, attention) of these guys who run the state's drug trafficking remotely. Did you read in one of the stories where one of the guys said he made $16k cash in a "slow month?"

Dope is huge business in this state. Massive. And most people who don't live in Baltimore either don't realize that, or choose not to think about it. And who can blame them? But I don't hear a lot of pols talking about statewide support to strategically take out the supply chain that allows imprisoned monsters to rule their fiefdoms from afar ... no, they focus on the guards - low hanging fruit.

[justtitans]

Originally Posted by MrRational

Look at your own words in the title.

You describe the issue as "misconduct" like littering.
It's a continuing criminal enterprise.

You are overanalyzing this. I used "misconduct", because that is what the Washington Post described it as.

Md. prison misconduct allegations prompt anger from lawmakers - The Washington Post

When I make title for threads based on articles, I usually incorporate the newspaper's wording so I'm not accused of twisting their words.

[justtitans]

Originally Posted by HandsUpThumbsDown

The attention and blame is being placed on the guards ... which is only half right. If you replaced all of them with the most morally upright persons one could find in Maryland ... enough would succumb to the power, money, gifts (and in the case of some of the ladies, attention) of these guys who run the state's drug trafficking remotely. Did you read in one of the stories where one of the guys said he made $16k cash in a "slow month?"

Dope is huge business in this state. Massive. And most people who don't live in Baltimore either don't realize that, or choose not to think about it. And who can blame them? But I don't hear a lot of pols talking about statewide support to strategically take out the supply chain that allows imprisoned monsters to rule their fiefdoms from afar ... no, they focus on the guards - low hanging fruit.

So let's just legalize all the other drugs just like Maryland is trying to do for weed (I'm not really being serious).

Seriously though, I agree that the supply chain is an issue, but this doesn't absolve the problem with prison guards. If these prisoners have this much power and pleasure in what is considered punishment, then what incentive are you giving them to stop the drug trafficking? That is why the conduct of the guards matters.