Recommended Read

Here's a young man of the type who end up in prison way to often. He didn't prey on another person or their property. He wasn't a danger to you, but he clearly broke the law. You paid $150,000 to be protected from him for 10 years. Of course, your teacher has to ask for handouts to afford tissue for the children. The dollars and sense of this is clearly explained in my article Corruption in Maricopa County's Government.

Here an excerpt from the entire post of Jon's Jail Journal about life in Sheriff Joe Arpaio's jail. (Note that a similar strategy was used in the tents and I write about it in my own 2007 experience. There seems to be a repeating pattern of human rights abuses in play.)

19 Feb 04

The toilet I sleep next to is full of sewage. We’ve had no running water for three days. Yesterday, I knew we were in trouble when the mound in our steel throne peaked above sea level.

Inmates often display remarkable ingenuity during difficult occasions and this crisis has resulted in a number of my neighbours defecating in the plastic bags the mouldy breakfast bread is served in. For hours they kept those bags in their cells, then disposed of them downstairs when allowed out for showers. As I write, inmates brandishing plastic bags are going from cell door to door proudly displaying their accomplishments.

The whole building reeks like a giant Portaloo. Putting a towel over the toilet in our tiny cell offers little reprieve. My neighbour, Eduardo, is suffering diarrhoea from the rotten chow. I can’t imagine how bad his cell stinks.

I am hearing that the local Health Department has been contacted. Hopefully they will come to our rescue soon.

Here is a more complete bio on the author of Jon's Jail Journal.

And a link to Jon's Jail Journal. In time it may well survive the ravages of history to become an indicator of the dark time in America's history when Mandatory Minimum Sentencing allowed Predatory Prosecutors to rule the world.