Gunning in the mega jail

[Sean]

Okay...

So on which planet does "Most of these inmates reside at one of the two biggest facilities in the Miami jail system, large modern buildings where the cells are well-supervised and safe. But the hardened few hundred who are either charged with particularly serious offences or have a track record of misbehaving behind bars get sent to the fifth and sixth floors of the main jail - a place with its own myth and lore" equate to "deliberately making a few hundred suspects of one facility, sound like the full extent of the Miami penal system."

I suspect however that you'll just continue to play dumb...

[The Hen]

No wonder you didn't tell me what the documentary said about the jail, Lo. I'll recap for others that may not have opened the link.

They said the 24 maximum security inmates are locked in for 23 hours a day.

They said that the lights are on 24 hours a day.

They said that the cell is filthy.

They said that the inmates are under constant supervision.

However, none of the above was explained, that was just how it was.

They offered no explanation as to why these inmates are not held in a humane manner.

Did you know that restricting 24 potentially violent prisoners with each other under such conditions is going to see a rise in the aggression levels.

I did hear mention of drug taking and mental illness. However, these are issues that all jails have to confront. Frankly, I don't know too many in the western civilised world that would keep their maximum security prisoners in a similar manner.

What have they done to deserve the entire deprivation of privacy?

I find this a sad indictment of the US penal system. More should be done to fix this problem.

If this new BBC documentary helps get the situation of how bad it is over there, then good, it should be applauded.

American audiences knew about this wart. Now it is circulating in a wider global audience.

[loCAtek]

Hen, I hope you watched the rest of the documentary.

Frankly, they are doing a good job compared to California;

California must cut prison population by 33,000

(05-23) 17:20 PDT WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Supreme Court ordered California on Monday to reduce the population of its jammed prisons by more than 30,000 in two years to repair a health care system that lower courts found was defying constitutional standards and endangering guards as well as inmates.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c ... z1NEB7ShuS

The bottom line is $$$ - prisons and jails are mostly state funded meaning paid for by tax dollars. If the state budget is strapped, (like CA is to the extreme) then nothing much can be done, other than to just release the prisoners out into the general population.

Interestingly, our new/old Governor Brown is suggesting that we do what Florida is doing and just transfer prisoners to county jails;

One alternative

But Gov. Jerry Brown's administration, while critical of the ruling, said the state could comply without releasing any dangerous criminals - if Republicans approve Brown's budget proposal to shift thousands of low-level offenders and parole violators from state prisons to county jails.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c ... z1NEC2cIHJ

I appreciate your concern and hope you have ideas for a better alternative?

[The Hen]

So the state has no funding and the prisoners are subjected to conditions that are (in some cases) potentially worse than Abu Ghraib.

You are "mythbusting" because a BBC journalist did a fly on the wall doco on it. Every thing seems to be verified by the documentary that you were already aware of.

Fairy nuff.

Do I have a better alternative?

Damn straight I do.

Next time, try mythbusting something that is worth your time. Also, make sure you actually "mythbust" instead of confirming the information.

Cheers for the link.

[loCAtek]

Ha-ha-ha, holds only 300; a 14 bed Management Unit and no females. Brilliant!


It's paid for how?

Busted that penitentiary myth easily, bird. Try again.

[The Hen]

Lo. It holds females. You just haven't read the link properly.

Cottages were constructed within the Centre to provide an accomodation option to which prisoners could aspire, based on improved behaviour or particular needs. The cottages enable prisoners to interact in a "group house" style environment, developing social skills such as cooking, cleaning and succesful social interaction with others, all of which will be needed on their release.

Female prisoners are all accomodated in cottage style accomodation.
http://www.cs.act.gov.au/page/view/862/ ... -for-women

You have busted nothing but your credibility.

You try again.

Why do you hold prisoners in such abysmal conditions.

[loCAtek]

They said

There are no female cells.

on the first page.

I 've said the reason for our conditions: no $$$$, because taxation is bringing in no funding. How are your 300 inmates paid for? Is this maximum or minimum security?

[loCAtek]

Oh I see, that's only Canberra, less than a million population and no comparison to the US system. Got'cha

[The Hen]

They hold female prisoners.

Believe me.

However, Australian jails aren't under the microscope here. They are human rights compliant.

It is the abysmally poor excuses for detention centers in the US that is under scrutiny here. Your country should do something about it.

It is appalling that so many human rights are breached simply for money.

I reckon Louis Theroux's documentary probably didn't go far enough.

Perhaps you should watch it, Lo instead of getting all het up about him telling the truth.

[The Hen]

Oh I see, that's only Canberra, less than a million population and no comparison to the US system. Got'cha

Yes darling, but you did ask if I had a better solution and I just happen to work for the Minister in charge of this jail.

It certainly beats yours hands down.

It would be larger IF we had the problems you do.

We don't, so it isn't.

Now how about you try busting something that deserves busting instead of proving all the points raised by Louis in his new doco, eh?

[loCAtek]

Um, you're comparing one city to a county or whole country? I asked you for a better alternative, and you offered inapt, judgmental, comparisons without viewing the documentary yourself?
That helps how?

[The Hen]

I see.

You can't justify that treatment either.

I am pleased about that.

Now you just tootle along and go and bust something, eh.

[loCAtek]

Hello? Apt comparison yet? Viewed the video yet? No, you don't see; myth busted. De nada.

[The Hen]

I can see there is no point in engaging with you Lo. You simply want to be argumentative for the joy of being the Board's arse.

Whatever you think you are accomplishing here, you aren't.



Now on a completely unrelated point, I found it fascinating that the word "gunning" is used as a term for masturbation. I have never heard that before.

No doubt the residents of Gunning NSW will similarly be surprised.

[Sean]

They should have just called it Wankville...

[loCAtek]

From the documentary provided, changes have been made and will continue to be made as funding allows. That is the root problem as I've stated: the funding.
These jails and prisons are run on tax dollars; I don't know how much your system is run that way, but I do know you've said you're in no where near the dire economic situation, nor are dealing with the high incarceration rate. Therefore comparing the two, doesn't offer any solutions.

So, with Florida unemployment at 10.4%, where is the extra funding for the sweeping changes, everyone as well as yourself would like, going to come from? Is the BBC documentary going to be any kind of fund-raiser?

I appreciate a good documentary as well as the next person, but will it tell us anything we didn't already know?

[Sean]

Is the BBC documentary going to be any kind of fund-raiser?

Dear Points of View,
When will the BBC learn that what we, the licence payers, want is not for our money to be used to create quality programming but to support the American penal system?

Yours,
Disappointed of Downing Street

PS Why should we pay our licence fee anyway? The BBC is nothing but repeats these days!

PPS I really enjoyed that frightfully good documentary with Louis Theroux. I hope you will be showing it again so that I can record it next time.

I appreciate a good documentary as well as the next person, but will it tell us anything we didn't already know?

Well I think it's taught you a thing or two... You were in complete disagreement with it a few posts ago and now you seem to acknowledge that it was accurate. Lesson learned.

[loCAtek]

I didn't like the non-objective focus on the worst part of one jail; which was giving the impression the whole system was like that. As stated; improvements have been made and will be made as funding allows. I don't appreciate Gonzo journalism masquerading as investigative reporting, suggesting that nothing is being done nor does anyone care.

[Sean]

That's hilarious! You really don't know how journalism works do you?

[loCAtek]

I'm sure, you'll tell me; and then I'll bust it.

I'll tell ya one thing from the clips; Louis is in every frame, asking how this will affect him? So? What does this have to do with the penal system?