Published: September 15, 2007 11:22 pm      

Jail: A nice place to visit

In reference to the inmate population problem at the county jail, I feel I have read about a possible solution. I have been following Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s “Tent City Jail” for some time and think he has found one way to deal with overcrowding of the county jail without releasing any criminals. (You can look it up online by doing a Google search of Maricopa Arizona County Sheriff.)

I have heard statements like, “life at the county jail is better than at home, there’s air conditioning, cable TV and I can relax and have my meals brought in and have a clean bed to sleep in. So what if I get caught, I’ll just get my county vacation.”

I wonder how much “rehabilitation” is actually taking place when we fail to show people what a good work ethic is and instead show them by our actions that they are “entitled” to being cared for like children and given all the comforts of home and more for misbehaving. How can we expect them to go back out and work for a living when being a criminal is a win-win situation? They win if they commit crimes and don’t get caught, and they win if they commit crimes and do get caught because we put them in a cozy jail where all their needs are met and they don’t have to ever grow up and care for themselves. When did punishment for crimes become a luxury?

Perhaps if we made “hard time” a little harder, repeat offenders might not be so casual about going back to jail. The young men might not be so eager to show their underwear if they were forced to wear all pink, the way Joe Arpaio’s prisoners do.

This letter in no way shines a negative light on Sheriff Sollie, my family and I support him and as concerned citizens we share his frustration in this matter. He and his deputies have done many positive things for Lauderdale County and we appreciate their efforts to make our sheriff’s department one of the best in the state. As I said in the beginning of my letter, Joe Arpaio’s “Tent City Jail” is just one possible solution to the overcrowding situation at the county jail. Perhaps other people can come up with more suggestions.



Concerned in Lauderdale County,

Gerri L. Thompson

Marion