Tuesday, December 30, 2008

My heart bleeds.

Via The Devil, this little story about criminals pretending that their unattractive attire is causing them significant distress.

Criminals wearing orange jackets while working in the community have been abused and jeered at by members of the public, according to study by leaders of the probation officers.

Community, church groups and at least one local council are refusing to accept placements involving offenders dressed in jackets bearing the words “Community Payback”.

You know what, mate, those people you screwed over to deserve your sentences are probably slightly more deserving of our sympathy than you. Shut the fuck up and get sweeping.

If I were in charge (and frankly you are suffering from a lot worse) I would hire this chap to be in charge of the prisons:
Arpaio set up a "Tent City" as an extension of the Maricopa County Jail. Many prisons and jails throughout the United States have used, and continue to use, tents to house inmates. Tent City is located in a yard next to a more permanent structure containing toilets, showers, an area for meals, and a day room. It has become notable particularly because of Phoenix's extreme temperatures. Daytime temperatures inside the tents have been reported as high as 150 degrees in the top bunks. During the summer, fans and water are supplied in the tents.

When Arpaio took office, inmates were routinely being released early due to overcrowding. Arpaio believed that "courts, not head count" should determine when an inmate is released, and that no officer should be deterred from making an arrest for fear that the inmate would be released due to jail overcrowding.During the summer of 2003, when outside temperatures exceeded 110 °F (43 °C), which is higher than average, Arpaio said to complaining inmates, "It's 120 degrees in Iraq and the soldiers are living in tents and they didn't commit any crimes, so shut your mouths." Inmates were given permission to wear only their pink underwear.

You're not on holiday, you're being punished. Want tea and hugs and the opportunity to blame someone else? Join the Lib Dems when you get out.

6 comments:

Mark Wadsworth said...

Tee hee, you can change that last bit to "Shake hands with a Lib Dem donor on his way in when you get out".

Will said...

Hi

You're not on holiday, you're being punished.

Amen to that, Trixy, but...

Want tea and hugs and the opportunity to blame someone else? Join the Lib Dems when you get out.

Cheap shot. It's Mr Cameron who's associated with hoodie hugging and his party is conspicuously silent on how it will deal with need to sentence offenders for a rising number of offences.

Regards
Will

Trixy said...

It's a true shot, however cheap. I've just read my latest Lib Dem 'In Focus' (I wish the camera hadn't been) and it's back to basics with lentils and 10 mile an hour speed limits.

James Higham said...

Right on, Trixy.

Happy New Year too.

Michael Heaver said...

Is it me or do the Liberal Democrats, Green Party and increasingly the Tories strike you as a bumch of people who live reclusive "night ins" of lives?

Unknown said...

Tent City was a fabulous idea but I fear that here in the UK our local, neighbourhood health and safety officials would complain about hypothermia et al.

As an ex-soldier I've been in a lot worse situations than those of offenders performing community service.

Whilst these tabards / bids are not exactly an opportunity for a modern-day stocks (notes: good idea, will write it down) most people are not exactly going to jeer offenders.

Personally speaking I believe that treating them like dogs under training (i.e., ignoring them) whilst they are performing community service would be a far, far worse punishment.