(None of us are perfect. --- Sometimes you need a little help from a friend)First may I confess to the Seven Deadly Sins: Pride, Covetousness, Lust, Anger, Envy, Gluttony, Sloth. Especially Gluttony and Sloth, because aging has stolen the energy I once had for the others.
That having been said, the Cameron County Jail, and for that matter, the Cameron County Criminal Justice System, and for that matter, jails, prisons and criminal justice systems in the United States could use some improvement.
Sheriffs (including this Sheriff) become defensive when "their" jail is discussed. The recent election cycle showed the weird spectacle of a jail preacher talking about how nice the jail is and the good doctor discussing how good the care is, in defense of the sheriff who, no doubt, is practically perfect in every way.
So before we move to specifics, let me pontificate in general that the tensions between sheriffs, county commissioners, police agencies, and Texas State Government guarantee that all the jails in the State are substandard. Not that all would fail a gumming test by the toothless Texas Commission on Jail Standards, but none do what they are intended to do: that is, hold people who are presumed innocent in a humane manner until they can be tried and convicted or acquitted.
The best sheriff would probably not be a policeman at all, but have some management experience in running a hotel or a restaurant or a hospital or a school or a monastery. Unfortunately, for reasons mired in other social defects, the only candidates who present themselves for the august position tend to be cops. More on this after some reflection during the wee hours of the morning: "Why don't other folks, besides police officers, want to be sheriff?"
In the meantime, sheriffs cannot run a good jail, because commissioners won't give them the money to do so. Commissioners won't give them the money to do so, because they would rather hire someone for the road crew so they can get the patronage rather than giving it to the sheriff. Also, Commissioners won't give the money because felons and illegal immigrants who fill the jails can't vote. Also, Commissioners won't give the money because they are afraid some genius will start talking about criminals not needing to be in country clubs and sheriffs need to be tough guys to go with the police image rather than the motel manager image I think is more appropriate for the job.
Most folks don't worries too much about jail conditions unless they have a kid in jail. Did I ever tell you about my Republican Christian lawyer friend who ridiculed me for a couple of decades for talking about jail conditions until his son grew up, went bonkers, and spent months in and out of jail on minor offenses? All of a sudden he became interested in the 8th Amendment and prohibitions against cruel and unusual punishment. I felt I was being strong and kind by resisting saying,"I told you so," in the midst of his pain.
Does anyone remember when Cameron County Jailers were contracting tuberculosis from the inmates? Jails become a petri dish for disease and jailers (who mostly are there because they need a job and have families to support) catch those diseases.
This all leads up to the question on my mind: Isn't a shame, a scandal even, if Gail Hanson, private school administrator and jail pastor is excluded from the women's section of the jail because she advocates for the prisoners?
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3 comments:
so simple, but yet so far from the people. Why is it something which is so simple to understand also so complex for the people and the press.
In a case I am consulting on a federal judge just ruled it does not violate the civil rights of prisoners who are forced to stand caged in pink boxers while female parishioners from a local church preach their religion.
Christianity is such a funny thing
I think there should be a state constitutional amendment to allow individual counties to switch to a more administrative sheriffs department in which is a sheriff that meets a set of qualifications is hired not elected. I also don't think the constables or justices of the peace should be elected; they strike me more as a county version of municipal court.
I think this change should be allowed as along as it can only be placed on the county ballot by petition from a required number of registered voters that can be realistically but not casually attained.
Patricia A.
I think it is a shame they are banning Gail from the jail. She was the only hope I had. The only thing I looked forward to was her visits. It was she who bought me the new pair of underwear I needed (I was wearing a swimsuit when arrested and from then on forced to wear adult diapers because "there were no indigent packages") She made me think about whether there was a God or not when I began to doubt His existence. She asked me "could millions and millions of people be wrong?" She brought me inspirational books and prayed for me. She became and still is an angel to me. She is one of the five people who must be there at my wedding. I met my dream man while in jail. Our paths crossed and we are set to marry in June. He has never even had a speeding ticket. I liked to drink. Gail was instrumental in changing my life. I want to help others get back on God's path but it will be hard without my spiritual mentor and inspiration, Gail. Again, the girls are without toilet paper and are restricted to their bunks. Everything was hunky-dory right before the election, even came out on TV saying how nice it was. Now that the election is over and the sheriff's friends voted to keep him. Things are back to normal in the jail and they are without, again. They signed a letter listing their abuses. Amazingly, the letter never made it to the outside world. Like when the sheriff said, "NO inmate has filed a complaint in the past year." That is because we have to turn in complaints to the guard. They were turned in to the guards but put into file 13 at that level. I wonder if this is ever going to change or if we are all wasting our time trying to do God's work in the compadre system. So many people want to help with donating goods in CLEAR ZIPLOC bags, shampoo samples, toilet paper, sanitary pads, paper, books. Why aren't we being allowed to help those less fortunate than ourselves?
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