"It's so bad that prisoners have been known to lie on their cell floors in pools of toilet water just to escape the worst of it. So far this year, at least nine people have died from what the Texas Tribune suspects were heat-related illnesses, though they cannot prove this as the Texas prison system stopped categorizing deaths as being heat-related 11 years ago."
Heat as high as 149 in the cell, with no potable water available unless you pay extortion fees. And instead of fixing the water supply and install AC, they fight against it at a higher legal cost than it would cost to simply fix it? yeah, it`s absolutely about the cruelty for these fuckaducks. Cruelty and greed, bet ya`ll dollars to donuts that there`s a lot of kickbacks and other corrupt shit as well.
How a society treats its prisoners is indicative of its humanity writ large. Not knocking the US knowing Canada’s prisons aren’t much better but we’ve managed to avoid privatization of them so far and the conditions are marginally better*.
*depends on location and complexion of prisoners of course
Last time I was in prison some 20 years ago, we had single occupancy cells, with tv and radio, and a bathroom with toilet, sink and shower. Heard it said that we had better living standards in prison than most college students living away from home in the US. Guess Norway is a socialist failure and a commie hellscape after all...
I "liked" this, or hit the "heart" icon, but I don't like the story. Stephen, your writing is fine, it's the subject matter. One good thing about Disqus, is the ability to react to posts, with a thumbs up, laughter, love, mad or even poop, if I remember correctly.
I taught for four years in county jail and six years in juvenile lock-up, and nothing boils my grits like mistreatment of helpless people. My jails were air-conditioned and well ventilated, fortunately.
Correction Corp. of America and Geo Group prisons usually have A/C because they want to retain staff and A/C is cheaper than a pay raise for their guards.
It's usually the state prisons that don't have A/C, but in some states, such as California, prison guards and medical staff are the highest paid state employees.
It doesn't help if they are poorly trained and allowed, even encouraged, to be thugs. The guards are not there to punish, but to protect; this is something that they forget far too often.
I think it would be better to flood the prisons (if we continue to have them) with teachers, counselors, mental health professionals, and the like, and keep guards off the yards as much as possible -- only there to prevent incidents and to protect staff and inmates instead of being the primary interface between inmates and prison staff.
I was a teacher in Jail and juvie. Worked with some good COs at the jail (mixed bag) and uniformly great people in juvie. There were no "guards" in juvenile detention, we had "group workers" who all had training and 4-year soc sci degrees. Not just to protect the kids, but to help them develop along more pro-social lines.
People do get the wrong idea about their professions sometimes. Teachers forget sometimes that they are there not to teach particular academic subjects, but to teach KIDS.
I don't doubt that there are some good guards and other staff in jails and prisons, but I have a feeling that most guards are very ill suited for the job and believe that it's their job to inflict punishment on prisoners instead of just keeping order in the place.
I think it would be better to have teachers, counselors, and other professional staff on prison yards, running the place, instead of guards. Rehabilitation should be the first and foremost objective of a prison or jail.
I think that guards should be required to have a two-year degree and at least 1 year of training (I think this should be a LEO requirement in general). Each time they get a promotion, then they should be required to have a higher degree (Sgt. a 4 year degree, Lt. Post-Grad program, Warden a Ph.D.)
Today, the #Teamsters reached the most historic tentative agreement for workers in the history of UPS, protecting and rewarding more than 340,000 UPS Teamsters nationwide. #1u
Speaking of doing time.... this from a BBC story about the Jan 6 insurrectionists...
"Of the 1,070 rioters charged in the attack, nearly 600 people have received prison sentences. Some 350 people have been charged with attacking, resisting or impeding police officers."
In most states none of the police or troopers known to be involved in the riots have even been questioned. Despite some of them bragging about clearly illegal actions.
The very idea that my wonderful Congresscritter and his staff have to walk the same halls as Mad Marge, Bobblehead, Gosar, Biggs, Perry, and every other gun-toting psycho scares the shit out of me.
"It's so bad that prisoners have been known to lie on their cell floors in pools of toilet water just to escape the worst of it. So far this year, at least nine people have died from what the Texas Tribune suspects were heat-related illnesses, though they cannot prove this as the Texas prison system stopped categorizing deaths as being heat-related 11 years ago."
Heat as high as 149 in the cell, with no potable water available unless you pay extortion fees. And instead of fixing the water supply and install AC, they fight against it at a higher legal cost than it would cost to simply fix it? yeah, it`s absolutely about the cruelty for these fuckaducks. Cruelty and greed, bet ya`ll dollars to donuts that there`s a lot of kickbacks and other corrupt shit as well.
Ta, Stephen. The cruelty is the point.
How a society treats its prisoners is indicative of its humanity writ large. Not knocking the US knowing Canada’s prisons aren’t much better but we’ve managed to avoid privatization of them so far and the conditions are marginally better*.
*depends on location and complexion of prisoners of course
Last time I was in prison some 20 years ago, we had single occupancy cells, with tv and radio, and a bathroom with toilet, sink and shower. Heard it said that we had better living standards in prison than most college students living away from home in the US. Guess Norway is a socialist failure and a commie hellscape after all...
--The Texas Department of Criminal Justice operates about 100 prisons, and just 31 are fully air conditioned while 55 have AC in “limited areas.”--
"Limited areas": Also known as "places only guards and administrative personnel are allowed".
Just the Head Warden's office, probably.
A possible conversation line from 10 years later:
"What? you come from Texas? Is anybody still living in that inhospitable place?"
OT: Nice times!
Ammon Bundy ordered to pay over $50 million in hospital defamation case
https://www.rawstory.com/ammon-bundy-50-million-defamation/
His damages counteroffer was a rotting steer carcass and 4 fresh squirrels.
Oh someone shared this beauty where they just handcuffed him to the chair he would not leave and rolled him out:
https://abcnews.go.com/US/ammon-bundy-arrested-refusing-obey-idaho-statehouse-meeting/story?id=72607073
What a toad.
This is welcome news. Ammon is almost as slippery as PAB. It's not as good as prison, but it's a start.
Has anyone seen inside those " immigrant detention centers" since the pandemic?
I "liked" this, or hit the "heart" icon, but I don't like the story. Stephen, your writing is fine, it's the subject matter. One good thing about Disqus, is the ability to react to posts, with a thumbs up, laughter, love, mad or even poop, if I remember correctly.
Then there's Illinois*
https://www.wbez.org/stories/illinois-prisons-need-billions-in-repairs/c80e57db-8b89-4de9-8ea1-642c60ca1cb9
(*get rid of the carceral state)
It that what's on Texas's license plates now?
Imagine being the kind of person who would spend more money on being an asshole rather than not be an asshole and pay less.
Oh, you've met my ex-husband!
Jason Aldean poses with old woman in red hat. It's funny.
Oh, that's right no photos allowed.
Anyway you can google it. Or not. I don't care anymore.
I taught for four years in county jail and six years in juvenile lock-up, and nothing boils my grits like mistreatment of helpless people. My jails were air-conditioned and well ventilated, fortunately.
must not have been a for profit prison
We do not have those in Oregon, fortunately. It was all county jail and juvie.
Correction Corp. of America and Geo Group prisons usually have A/C because they want to retain staff and A/C is cheaper than a pay raise for their guards.
It's usually the state prisons that don't have A/C, but in some states, such as California, prison guards and medical staff are the highest paid state employees.
And they should be highly paid. That's how you get decent professionals to do the job.
It doesn't help if they are poorly trained and allowed, even encouraged, to be thugs. The guards are not there to punish, but to protect; this is something that they forget far too often.
I think it would be better to flood the prisons (if we continue to have them) with teachers, counselors, mental health professionals, and the like, and keep guards off the yards as much as possible -- only there to prevent incidents and to protect staff and inmates instead of being the primary interface between inmates and prison staff.
I was a teacher in Jail and juvie. Worked with some good COs at the jail (mixed bag) and uniformly great people in juvie. There were no "guards" in juvenile detention, we had "group workers" who all had training and 4-year soc sci degrees. Not just to protect the kids, but to help them develop along more pro-social lines.
People do get the wrong idea about their professions sometimes. Teachers forget sometimes that they are there not to teach particular academic subjects, but to teach KIDS.
I don't doubt that there are some good guards and other staff in jails and prisons, but I have a feeling that most guards are very ill suited for the job and believe that it's their job to inflict punishment on prisoners instead of just keeping order in the place.
I think it would be better to have teachers, counselors, and other professional staff on prison yards, running the place, instead of guards. Rehabilitation should be the first and foremost objective of a prison or jail.
I think that guards should be required to have a two-year degree and at least 1 year of training (I think this should be a LEO requirement in general). Each time they get a promotion, then they should be required to have a higher degree (Sgt. a 4 year degree, Lt. Post-Grad program, Warden a Ph.D.)
OT
💥 TEAMSTERS WIN HISTORIC UPS CONTRACT💥
Today, the #Teamsters reached the most historic tentative agreement for workers in the history of UPS, protecting and rewarding more than 340,000 UPS Teamsters nationwide. #1u
My dad was a Teamster for many years in the 70s and early 80s.
'Like' this comment too for more more likes
I cannot upfist this enough.
Same here!
OT: I have an earworm I'm going to share with you. As earworms go, it's a great one.
https://youtu.be/CjO7qdADCyQ
If you really want to go crazy, get this earworm going. The Jaja Ding Dong song from the EuroVision Song Contest movie.
https://youtu.be/PlBUH8zMZng?si=tsnvGBB2uKtiKoDU
It is a well known fact: you can get rid of an earworm by singing the "Flintstones" theme 30 times in a row.
In Canada you need to sing the anthem to get rid of an earworm.
"Corner Gas," I love the episode where they are trying to convince Oscar he's really American and Brent fucks with him about "O, Canada."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdYyrSGbZFw
O, Canada.
Canada is how the US would be without the colossal arrogance.
I like to think.
Except we seem to be exporting our colossal arrogance to our northern neighbors.
Sure, but they right away apologize!
(Shhhhh, I'm hunting wabbits!)
The Flintstones will be canceled next b/c "We'll have a gay old time!"
Fa-la-la, fa-la-la, la-la-la!
😆 😅 😂 🤣😆 😅 😂 🤣😆 😅 😂 🤣😆 😅 😂 🤣
Speaking of doing time.... this from a BBC story about the Jan 6 insurrectionists...
"Of the 1,070 rioters charged in the attack, nearly 600 people have received prison sentences. Some 350 people have been charged with attacking, resisting or impeding police officers."
the FAFO is strong with this bunch.
I hope their parents are very proud of them.
Given the look of a lot of them, it's their kids who will be "very proud."
Good luck to those dumbasses who won't be able to get a good job, because they're screwed in that respect at least.
I somehow doubt they had very good jobs to start with.
A bunch of city cops and Highway Patrol from many states, even blue states.
In most states none of the police or troopers known to be involved in the riots have even been questioned. Despite some of them bragging about clearly illegal actions.
Now do the GOP Insurrection's leaders in Congress.
I really want them the most.
The very idea that my wonderful Congresscritter and his staff have to walk the same halls as Mad Marge, Bobblehead, Gosar, Biggs, Perry, and every other gun-toting psycho scares the shit out of me.
They organized it and helped fund it. They are MORE guilty than the cannon-fodder, not less.
And then think of how many black people that attacked a police officer would have even made it to trial
I wonder if Trump™ will wonder aloud if any juror who vote him guilty will receive prison time if he is elected again.
No, because he is just barely smart enough not to do that.
Notice, that since the small furor when he mentioned Smith's family, he hasn't done it again.
He is stupid, but almost as trainable as our cat. (Grace is jumping thru hoops now.)
I hate to be the guy to say this, but...if he is elected again there may need to be 2nd amendment solutions.
With any luck, he'll never learn their identities.
I would actually worry more about his bottom feeders. They are the one who will put a 7.62 mm through your front window.