BS: PA judges took money to jail kids

Subject: BS: PA judges took money to jail kids
From: Goose Gander
Date: 11 Feb 09 - 04:54 PM

Corrupt Pennsylvania judges jail kids . . . I don't even know what to say.

Subject: RE: BS: PA judges took money to jail kids
From: Riginslinger
Date: 11 Feb 09 - 06:55 PM

Michael - I don't think I've heard of anything as rotten as that!

Subject: RE: BS: PA judges took money to jail kids
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 11 Feb 09 - 07:33 PM

Bent judges - but here's where the root of this lies: "Many Pennsylvania counties contract with privately run juvenile detention centers, paying them either a fixed overall fee or a certain amount per youth, per day."

There are some things that should never be handed over to profit-based providers.

Subject: RE: BS: PA judges took money to jail kids
From: kendall
Date: 12 Feb 09 - 08:13 AM

Can you imagine what it's going to be like for those bastards in prison? They will be lucky to live 7 years!

Subject: RE: BS: PA judges took money to jail kids
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 12 Feb 09 - 10:31 AM

And what was the local press doing all that time? Writing up Britney Spears?

Subject: RE: BS: PA judges took money to jail kids
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 12 Feb 09 - 11:22 AM

But is anything going to happen to the people responsible for putting this kind of thing out into the hands of sharks? Don't hold your breath.

Subject: RE: BS: PA judges took money to jail kids
From: Wesley S
Date: 12 Feb 09 - 12:35 PM

It sounds like something out of Dickens. Just terrible.

Subject: RE: BS: PA judges took money to jail kids
From: PoppaGator
Date: 12 Feb 09 - 02:08 PM

This may well be just the tip of an iceberg. The "conservative" policy of privitizing the correctional-facility business has created a situation where the easy opportunity for kind of corruption is just too inviting.

I, for one, do not believe for a minute that this case is all that unique. I don't believe that Pennsylvania is the only state where this has been happeneing, nor that the practice has been limited to the juvenile justice system.

The US has a higher percentage of its population locked up in prison than any other nation on earth, developed and undeveloped and every category in-between. And, thanks to the neoconservative movement and the Republican party, the building and management of prisons has become a money-making proposition.

Last time I checked, two plus two almost always adds up to four.

Subject: RE: BS: PA judges took money to jail kids
From: Sleepy Rosie
Date: 12 Feb 09 - 02:14 PM

In the UK, we hear those 'stories' about the dangers in America of allowing anyone to know that you're going through a stressful period or similar emotional troubles, in case you get locked away in a mental institution.

Subject: RE: BS: PA judges took money to jail kids
From: Rapparee
Date: 12 Feb 09 - 02:43 PM

Don't assume that prison is the answer to everything, as the US society has been doing. Many times social intervention or rehab would turn around someone who otherwise would have ended up playing revolving prison doors -- and in the long run it's cheaper.

Subject: RE: BS: PA judges took money to jail kids
From: Big Mick
Date: 12 Feb 09 - 02:46 PM

Sleepy Rosie, I alway am amazed when I hear these types of statements from European friends. There is little danger of that happening here, and I think if you were to speak with Micca or any of the UK'ers that have visited our land, you will find it a very agreeable place. Certainly our big cities have problems, but not any worse than Dublin, London, or Paris.

All the best,

Mick

Subject: RE: BS: PA judges took money to jail kids
From: Sleepy Rosie
Date: 12 Feb 09 - 02:57 PM

Hey Mick, no criticism of the US intended.
It's just one of those scary stories that we tend to hear over here.

Subject: RE: BS: PA judges took money to jail kids
From: Rapparee
Date: 12 Feb 09 - 03:07 PM

The Soviet Union used to lock people up for "mental problems", as did Hitler and others. The US doesn't today, although it may have done so in the past (vide Mary Todd Lincoln).

Subject: RE: BS: PA judges took money to jail kids
From: pdq
Date: 12 Feb 09 - 03:08 PM

The judges are corrupt.

The judges solicited the bribes from the reform school contractors, not the other way around.

This has nothing to do with privatization of some of the penal system. That usually involves "low risk" detainees.

Private contractors get better results for less money, and allow the government-run institutions to concentrate on violent crimnals.

Subject: RE: BS: PA judges took money to jail kids
From: VirginiaTam
Date: 12 Feb 09 - 03:14 PM

US doen't have many mental institutions left... unless you want to count the prisons. Thank Reagan for that.

Subject: RE: BS: PA judges took money to jail kids
From: VirginiaTam
Date: 13 Feb 09 - 04:10 AM

& years is not long enough and these judges should be made to pay restitution to their victims.

The correction system in many states is not correctional (which implies rehabilitation and education). Some are purely penal in the most anti-human rights and reprehensible ways. Most are only wharehouses in which to store non or ill functioning members of society in the most cost effective way.

Unfortunately in many places it has turned into a for profit industry. My one time church used to collect and put together little toiletry/gift packages for nearby men's and women's correction facilities. They stopped us doing this supposedly because there was not enough manpower to check and make certain none of the items contained contraband. At one time, churches, organisations and family members could order books, personal radios, TVs, art and craft supplies, toiletries and food treats to be sent from reputable retailers directly to prisoners.
In Virginia this is no longer permitted. Prisoners must order items for themselves from prison approved suppliers (all very poor quality at about 3x what we would pay for name brands). Prison issue clothing, shoes and toiletries such as toothbruses, shavers, etc. Are also poor quality. Soles fall of of shoes, zips break on trousers, buttons come off of shirts, underwear gets thin and ragged, long before the next issue. Prisoners are welcome to purchase these items prior to next issue date. One polycotton tshirt costs about $10.00. Gives you an idea what families of prisoners are dealing with.   Certainly the prison system gets some sort of kickback from using these distributors. What happened to the days when they made their own clothes and grew their own food and learned trades?

Phone calls prisoners make to freinds, family and legal counsel costs the receivers of these calls a fortune, because of the contract Virginia system has made with Verizon. When my younger brother was in the clink he called me in England, we were on the phone for less than an hour. It cost me £237.00. That was 3 years ago. My mom regularly paid $200 to $300 per month for his calls home which were usually only on the weekend.

The diet is horrible. No meat except ground turkey. Prisoners can order roast turkey, beef or ham at Christmas and Thanksgiving. Almost all fruit and veg is from tins and contains huge quantities of sugar /salt. A lot of transfat butter substitute is added as well, for flavour I suppose. No wonder the prisons are rife with heart disease and diabetes. Medical and dental care must be paid for by prisoners and even so they wait months to see a doctor and years to see a dentist. The treatment from both is very limited and whatever is most cost effective.

Libraries, music and art studios, teaching and computing suites are often shut down for months at a time. If the responsible member of staff goes off sick or there is a vacancy for post that manages the "amenity" or if one or more inmates is caught breaking a rule of use, the prison just closes it to everyone. End of.

People think prisoners in the US have it made. So much for humane treatment.

Subject: RE: BS: PA judges took money to jail kids
From: wyrdolafr
Date: 13 Feb 09 - 05:39 AM

Sleepy Rosie wrote: "In the UK, we hear those 'stories' about the dangers in America of allowing anyone to know that you're going through a stressful period or similar emotional troubles, in case you get locked away in a mental institution".

Well, to offer some balance, it's only about 18 months ago that Labour were desperately pushing for some worryingly draconian detainment measures through another Mental Health Act reform.

Also, and I doubt it's just the cynic in me, what policies are there regarding community care and partnerships with charities &c. are driven by purse string tightening rather than any kind of ethics. Given the reactionary vote-chasing stances of both major parties, I doubt either would have any real qualms about building giant 'prison-wards' if money wasn't an issue. Anything to keep the public safe from those 'samurai sword wielding schizo killers' who are just 'ticking timebombs waiting to go off' which results 'yet another family are destroyed by lax social services'.

Lock 'em all up - just in case!

Subject: RE: BS: PA judges took money to jail kids
From: Bryn Pugh
Date: 13 Feb 09 - 07:30 AM

I'm a UKer with an American Mother. I love visiting the States, but I don't think I could live there.

I agree with what Big Mick (Hi, buddy) said above : speaking only for Boston Mass, I think it a bit more law-abiding than some UK Cities.