NAACP allege that Georgia prison guards beat inmates. (Washington: lawyers, law)

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by 912

PLEASE stop uttering the "P" word! That word is almost as offensive as the "N" word!

I consider myself progressive on social and scientific issues and I don't find it offensive at all. To whom is it offensive?

[Atlanta_dude]

Only a idiot would think it was ok to abuse a person in prison because he or she was committing a victim less crime like drugs or gun possession. I am sorry, but it is bad enough people don't a have a right to bare arms or put what they want in their bodies but to say they deserve to be beaten make me want to throw you in jail for being a tyrant.

[912]

Originally Posted by arjay57

I consider myself progressive on social and scientific issues and I don't find it offensive at all. To whom is it offensive?

To me, that's who. Ever since liberals hijacked that word to "redefine" who they are.

[outdoorman]

Maybe all those who agree its ok to beat felons should find themselves in prison for any type of crime and then let the correctional officers have at them.

[Merin]

Originally Posted by suprascooby22

Heres a thought, maybe if we make is so unbearable for them. THEY WONT WANT TO GO BACK!

As it is now you have to join a racist gang and avoid gang rapes in the shower. Sounds pretty unbearable to me. Additionally, as someone who has family in Rio I can tell you unpleasant prison conditions are no deterrent to crime. It has taken special ops to take control of the slums, not the thread of bad jails.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by 912

To me, that's who. Ever since liberals hijacked that word to "redefine" who they are.

That's sort of like the way "conservatives" hijacked that word to redefine who they are. I consider myself conservative in many respects but it's hard for me to identify with a lot of what is called conservative these days.

Of course it's not up to any of us to tell people what they can or cannot call themselves. Definitions may vary but fortunately we don't have mind police in this country -- yet.

[RoslynHolcomb]

Better than 80% of inmates have already been physically abused before they wind up in prison. So thinking that beating them further will make them less likely to recidivate demonstrates a lack of knowledge of the human psyche. In actuality, they're more likely to return to an abusive environment because that's what they know. On a more pragmatic note, it's foolish to beat inmates because the lawsuits that result are a stupid wast of taxpayer's money.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by suprascooby22

Heres a thought, maybe if we make is so unbearable for them. THEY WONT WANT TO GO BACK!

Aside from the fact that it's bad for business, you can't let prison guards go around beating people. That's part of what marks us as a humane society and differentiates us from backward totalitarian dictatorships.

Anybody can wind up in the slammer. Suppose your kid buys drugs or runs over somebody or writes some bad checks and gets sent to jail. Surely you're not okay with the guards beating him into a brain damaged state.

That doesn't even get to the problem of people who are wrongly convicted. What about that guy in Texas who was just released after serving 30 years for a crime he did not commit? He was just one of 41 people released from Texas prisons (over 20 in Dallas alone) because it was conclusively proven that they didn't commit the crime. Should they have been fair game?

[TakeAhike]

Originally Posted by RoslynHolcomb

Better than 80% of inmates have already been physically abused before they wind up in prison. So thinking that beating them further will make them less likely to recidivate demonstrates a lack of knowledge of the human psyche. In actuality, they're more likely to return to an abusive environment because that's what they know. On a more pragmatic note, it's foolish to beat inmates because the lawsuits that result are a stupid wast of taxpayer's money.

From the AJC article>>>

'Georgia prisons are under strain from a growing inmate population and budget cuts, said Sara Totonchi, executive director of the Southern Center for Human Rights.

The state has a higher percentage of its population in prison than most, said Totonchi, whose nonprofit provides legal representation to prisoners and fights abuses.

"They've been triple-bunking the cells (and) ... overcrowding at the prisons creates a very volatile situation," she said.'

I'm just surprised there aren't many more such incidents--nationally. I fully expect that this could become a very serious problem.

[testa50]

Yep, it's a problem: we have a bloated government with a lot of stupid rules and we can't afford to properly lock up all the people who break them. Nevermind our horrid drug and immigration policies, we lock people up for the dumbest **** you could imagine.

Take this egregious offense:

WASHINGTON, D.C. - A federal jury in Mobile, Alabama, has found four individuals guilty of multiple felony counts related to the illegal harvest and importation of Caribbean spiny lobster tails, the Justice Department announced today.

David Henson McNab, a citizen of Honduras, was found guilty of one conspiracy count, 11 smuggling counts and 16 money laundering counts. Robert D. Blandford, of Coral Springs, Fla., was found guilty of one conspiracy count, 11 smuggling counts, 10 felony Lacey Act counts, two misdemeanor Lacey Act counts and 13 money laundering counts. Abner J. Schoenwetter, of the Miami area, was found guilty of one conspiracy count and six smuggling counts. Diane Huang, of Englewood Cliffs, N.J., was found guilty of one conspiracy count, one felony false labeling count, and 15 Lacey Act misdemeanor counts. The Lacy Act prohibits import, export, transportation, sale, receipt, acquisition or purchase of fish, wildlife, or plants that are taken, possessed, transported or sold in violation of any federal, state, tribal or foreign law.

How horrible! Remove them from society!

Oh wait, let's hear a non-government account of what happened:

IN 2000 four Americans were charged with importing lobster tails in plastic bags rather than cardboard boxes, in violation of a Honduran regulation that Honduras no longer enforces. They had fallen foul of the Lacey Act, which bars Americans from breaking foreign rules when hunting or fishing. The original intent was to prevent Americans from, say, poaching elephants in Kenya. But it has been interpreted to mean that they must abide by every footling wildlife regulation on Earth. The lobstermen had no idea they were breaking the law. Yet three of them got eight years apiece. Two are still in jail.

We have a fundamental problem in this country. Prison guard beatings and prison conditions reminiscent of a tsarist barracks are but two measly symptoms.