Snowy Posted August 29, 2008 Share Posted August 29, 2008 Found this, rather interesting story about Sheriff Joe and his crime reduction methods! Hmm, plenty of food for thought! You all remember Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Arizona , who painted the jail cells pink and made the inmates wear pink prison garb. Well......... SHERIFF JOE IS AT IT AGAIN! Maricopa Countywas spending approx. $18 million dollars a year on stray animals, like cats and dogs. Sheriff Joe offered to take the department over, and the County Supervisorssaid okay. The animal shelters are now all staffed and operated by prisoners. They feed and care for the strays. Every animal in his care is taken out and walked twice daily. He now has prisoners who are experts in animal nutrition and behavior. They give great classes for anyone who'd like to adopt an animal. He has literally taken stray dogs off the street, given them to the care of prisoners, and had them place in dog shows. The best part? His budget for the entire department is now under $3 million. Teresa and I adopted a Weimaraner from a MaricopaCountyshelter two years ago. He was neutered, and current on all shots, in great health, and even had a microchip inserted the day we got him. Cost us $78. The prisoners get the benefit of about $0.28 an hour for working, but most would work for free, just to be out of their cells for the day. Most of his budget is for utilities, building maintenance, etc. He pays the prisoners out of the fees collected for adopted animals. I have long wondered when the rest of the country would take a look at the way he runs th e jail system, and copy some of his ideas. He has a huge farm, donated to the county years ago, where inmates can work, and they grow most of their own fresh vegetables and food, doing all the work and harvesting by hand. He has a pretty good sized hog farm, which provides meat, and fertilizer. It fertilizes the Christmas tree nursery, where prisoners work, and you can buy a living Christmas tree for $6 - $8 for the Holidays, and plant it later. We have six trees in our yard from the Prison. Yup, he was reelected last year with 83% of the vote. Now he's in trouble with the ACLU again. He painted all his buses and vehicles with a mural, that has a special hotline phone number painted on it, where you can call and report suspected illegal aliens. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement wasn't doing enough in his eyes, so he had 40 deputies trained specifically for enforcing immigration laws, started up his hotline, and bought 4 new buses just for hauling folks back to the border. He's kind of a 'Git-R Dun' kind of Sheriff. TO THOSE OF YOU NOT FAMILIAR WITH JOE ARPAIO HE IS THE MARICOPA ARIZONACOUNTYSHERIFF AND HE KEEPS GETTING ELECTED OVER AND OVER THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY: Sheriff Joe Arpaio (In Arizona ) who created the ' Tent City Jail': He has jail meals down to 40 cents a serving and charges the inmates for them. He stopped smoking and porno magazines in the jails. Took away their weights. Cut off all but 'G' movies. He started chain gangs so the inmates could do free work on county and city projects. Then He Started Chain Gangs For Women So He Wouldn't Get Sued For Discrimination. He took away cable TV Until he found out there was A Federal Court Order that Required Cable TV For Jails So He Hooked Up The Cable TV Again Only Let In The Disney Channel And The Weather Channel. When asked why the weather channel He Replied, So They Will Know How Hot It's Gonna Be While They Are Working ON My Chain Gangs. He Cut Off Coffee Since It Has Zero Nutritional Value. When the inmates complained, he told them, 'This Isn't The Ritz/Carlton.....If You Don't Like It, Don't Come Back.' More On The Arizona Sheriff: With Temperatures Being Even Hotter Than Usual In Phoenix (116 Degrees Just Set A New Record), the Associated Press Reports: About 2,000 Inmates Living In A Barbed-Wire-Surrounded Tent Encampment At The MaricopaCountyJail Have Been Given Permission To Strip Down To Their Government-Issued Pink Boxer Shorts. On Wednesday, hundreds of men wearing boxers were either curled up on their bunk beds or chatted in the tents, which reached 138 Degrees Inside The Week Before. Many Were Also Swathed In Wet, Pink Towels As Sweat Collected On Their Chests And Dripped Down To Their PINK SOCKS. 'It Feels Like We Are In A Furnace,' Said James Zanzot, An Inmate Who Has Lived In The TENTS for 1 year. 'It's Inhumane.' Joe Arpaio, the tough-guy sheriff who created the tent city and long ago started making his prisoners wear pink, and eat bologna sandwiches, is not one bit sympathetic. He said Wednesday that he told all of the inmates: 'It's 120 Degrees In IraqAnd Our Soldiers Are Living In Tents Too, And They Have To Wear Full Battle Gear, But They Didn't Commit Any Crimes, So Shut Your Mouths!' Maybe we could use some of his tactics in UK jails! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen & co. Posted August 29, 2008 Share Posted August 29, 2008 It's no wonder he keeps getting re-elected I like the comment about the soldiers in Iraq. Karen x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted August 29, 2008 Share Posted August 29, 2008 What a character! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phonix Posted August 29, 2008 Share Posted August 29, 2008 What a character! Yes Def - i think we could do with some of his money reducing ideas - we spend far too much on keeping horrid horrid people in plush cells with a higher level of living than some of those on the outside who have never set a foot wrong! xXx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMS Posted August 29, 2008 Share Posted August 29, 2008 Don't get me wrong, I'm all for punishing prisoners and having them contribute to the community in a positive way but... Sheriff Joe's methods have not reduced the reoffending rate or acted as a deterrent and reduced crime rates/number of prisoners, according to this article: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0803/S00144.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackiepoppies Posted August 29, 2008 Share Posted August 29, 2008 Don't get me wrong, I'm all for punishing prisoners and having them contribute to the community in a positive way but... Sheriff Joe's methods have not reduced the reoffending rate or acted as a deterrent and reduced crime rates/number of prisoners, according to this article: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0803/S00144.htm His methods may not have improved recidivism BUT his prisoners are using their time inside on purposeful activity and are costing the state [i.e. the taxpayers] less to keep. Not all prisoners are 'horrible people' and certainly most cells are not 'plush'! Some cells have been made more comfortable but by the prisoners themselves, not the state. Jackiex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...