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LA Sheriff Orders Inmates to Strip

By TChris, Section Inmates and Prisons
Posted on Sat Feb 18, 2006 at 06:58:13 PM EST
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by TChris

Where did LA County Sheriff Lee Baca get the idea that he can punish jail inmates by making them stand around naked?

More than 100 inmates at a Los Angeles County jail were ordered to strip naked, had their mattresses taken away and were left with only blankets to cover themselves for a day as Los Angeles Sheriff's Department officials tried to quell racially charged violence that has plagued the jail system for nearly two weeks.

The Sheriff opined that he was acting at "outer edge of our core values," but he's fallen off the edge.

"It comes to a different level of basic human rights if you take away clothing and dignity," said Michael Gennaco, chief of Sheriff Lee Baca's office of independent review.

Buca invoked the "two wrongs make a right" argument, noting that the naked inmates had deprived other inmates of their dignity by fighting with them. He also observed that the naked inmates didn't provoke additional fights, invoking the "it worked and so it's right" defense. Never mind about fundamental standards of human decency.

[Mark] Rosenbaum said holding of inmates in the nude and without mattresses was reminiscent of the infamous images out the scandal over treatment of Iraqi prisoners. "We would be horrified if these methods had taken place at Abu Ghraib," he said. "However effective or ineffective, humiliation and degradation is not a proper procedure for discipline."

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    LA Sheriff Orders Inmates to Strip | 21 comments (21 topical)
    Re: LA Sheriff Orders Inmates to Strip (none / 0) (#1)
    by Johnny on Sat Feb 18, 2006 at 01:31:56 PM EST
    Ummm.... wow. How very Abu Ghraib

    Re: LA Sheriff Orders Inmates to Strip (none / 0) (#2)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Feb 18, 2006 at 02:57:14 PM EST
    On the wider issue, I recall TL or TC posting at least a few times how it was bad to segregate prisoners based on race. It was pointed out that since inmates form race-oriented gangs, keeping them separated was only good sense. Now, we've got some victims to help underline that point.

    Re: LA Sheriff Orders Inmates to Strip (none / 0) (#3)
    by Sailor on Sat Feb 18, 2006 at 03:03:16 PM EST
    I have no problem taking privileges away.... It comes to a different level of basic human rights if you take away clothing and dignity," said Michael Gennaco, chief of Sheriff Lee Baca's office of independent review. "
    Gitmo, afghanistan, abu graib, America. Welcome to the new gulags.

    Re: LA Sheriff Orders Inmates to Strip (none / 0) (#4)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Feb 18, 2006 at 03:22:56 PM EST
    Uh.... Let me see. Rioting stopped. No one hurt. Works for me. And hey! Not one case of making'em wear women's panties...

    Re: LA Sheriff Orders Inmates to Strip (none / 0) (#5)
    by Darryl Pearce on Sat Feb 18, 2006 at 03:27:16 PM EST
    Jim makes the mistake of thinking time's arrow doesn't move. Whether there's peace or riot: This too shall pass. Time for me to back and watch re-runs of LAW&ORDER: Cain and Abel Unit

    Re: LA Sheriff Orders Inmates to Strip (none / 0) (#6)
    by Sailor on Sat Feb 18, 2006 at 04:01:17 PM EST
    The deaths of two black men killed during 12 days of violence throughout the county jail system could have been prevented if the Sheriff's Department had followed the recommendations of an attorney paid by the county to monitor the department.
    Re: LA Sheriff Orders Inmates to Strip (none / 0) (#7)
    by TomStewart on Sat Feb 18, 2006 at 04:46:08 PM EST
    Uhmm, I guess naked people don't riot?

    Re: LA Sheriff Orders Inmates to Strip (none / 0) (#8)
    by scarshapedstar on Sat Feb 18, 2006 at 05:31:29 PM EST
    This doesn't seem to be a national security issue, yet PPJ is (as usual) 10 miles from the social liberal views he constantly reminds us he has so many of. Curioser and curioser!

    Re: LA Sheriff Orders Inmates to Strip (none / 0) (#9)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Feb 18, 2006 at 06:14:29 PM EST
    scarshapedstar Oh, really??? Where were you when we needed you? Tom S - Not in this case. et al - I have no way to know why the riots happened. And none of us have no way of knowing what would have happened if the recommendations had been followed. The key thing is that the riots have been stopped. Now they can start looking for long term solutions. Triage, etc., etc.

    Re: LA Sheriff Orders Inmates to Strip (none / 0) (#11)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Feb 18, 2006 at 06:48:41 PM EST
    Outrage, is the name of this game, in fact its normal place for our syatem to act like that its the way our non system looks at people of all kinds white, black, name it, its part of the dehumanizing games that our non government likes to play. do you know if you read a book on a airliner you maybe a terrorists? it happen to henry Rollins a stand-up comedian it looks like you will see a great deal more of the mass insane government. Do you want to know more? read about it in the News.com.au, you are next! bush the real terrorist of the usa. ask where is bin laden?

    Re: LA Sheriff Orders Inmates to Strip (none / 0) (#12)
    by Che's Lounge on Sat Feb 18, 2006 at 06:53:26 PM EST
    You guys spent too much time worrying about the scums and criminals. Narius once again tries to mischaracterize people who strive for humane prisons as criminal-loving, much to the amusement of those here who actually care about our society as a whole. Narius, those of us here who are frustrated at seeing prisoners die in riots would rather fix the problem by creating an environment where the prisoners are not a danger to themselves or others, instead of hugging them, as you seem to be hallucinating. You may be surprised to hear this, but there are many people in prison for non violent crimes. Are you OK with placing a non violent criminal in a violent environment as part of his "rehab"? That's pretty harsh for check fraud or pot possession. It seems they are all the same to you once they enter the gate.

    Re: LA Sheriff Orders Inmates to Strip (none / 0) (#13)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Feb 18, 2006 at 07:10:59 PM EST
    Make no mistake - there is no "rehab" in prison. Why would the govt do anything to diminsh its repeat customer base ?

    Re: LA Sheriff Orders Inmates to Strip (none / 0) (#15)
    by scarshapedstar on Sun Feb 19, 2006 at 06:35:54 AM EST
    Oh, really??? Where were you when we needed you?
    Hmm. You stated in that thread that only Republicans could make a workable national healthcare system, like Nixon going to China. I seem to recall you heaping praise upon the Medicare boondoggle on numerous occasions. You know, the colossal failure. Expensive failure. 100% Republican failure. So, basically, you want us to let the same guys design the second Hindenberg because they couldn't possibly let it blow up twice. You'll have to forgive me for not immediately chiming in with my support for your judgement on national healthcare matters. ;)

    Re: LA Sheriff Orders Inmates to Strip (none / 0) (#16)
    by Che's Lounge on Sun Feb 19, 2006 at 08:11:59 AM EST
    BTW, maximum security prisons are for violent criminals. The security crackdown is at ALL county jails and correctional facilities. And luckily, our government does not seem to be as fixated on improving scumbags lives in prison. That much is certain. However, again you promote the "hug a scumbag" misinformation about the progressive approach to prixson reform. I don't wish to fluff their pillow, Einstein. I just would like a humane system that allows living people to serve their time without becoming dead people, or raped people, or disabled people, or people with AIDS (more cost again, Narius).

    Re: LA Sheriff Orders Inmates to Strip (none / 0) (#17)
    by Johnny on Sun Feb 19, 2006 at 08:50:27 AM EST
    As long as there are people like Narius in the world, there is no hope for honest rehabilitation. When persons like Narius are what a convict has to look forward to upon release, why bother reforming. In the world according to Narius, every crime is a life sentence.

    Re: LA Sheriff Orders Inmates to Strip (none / 0) (#18)
    by kdog on Sun Feb 19, 2006 at 09:15:00 AM EST
    I think of prisons I think of my father, he served 2 years for a violent crime and came out to raise a family, pay taxes, and lead a productive life. He was the greatest man I have ever known...and a convict. The way our prisons are run, the odds of that happening to a young man today are much slimmer. Very few prisoners are beyond rehabilitation, if given half a chance. Was it Doestoevsky who said you can judge a society by how it treats it's prisoners? I agree. I see no reason to strip a man of all of his dignity in order to punish him.

    Re: LA Sheriff Orders Inmates to Strip (none / 0) (#19)
    by chris on Sun Feb 19, 2006 at 09:54:05 AM EST
    Very Nice Post! Come check out my blog.. Bad Ass I've added you to my blog roll.

    Re: LA Sheriff Orders Inmates to Strip (none / 0) (#20)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sun Feb 19, 2006 at 11:48:34 AM EST
    scar writes:
    I seem to recall you heaping praise upon the Medicare boondoggle on numerous occasions. You know, the colossal failure. Expensive failure. 100% Republican failure.
    What are you talking about? If your are referring to the MEDICARE Rx insurance program, the problems were with the MEDICAID program ran by THE STATES, not with the MEDICARE plan. Now, if you are talking about the delays encountered by some seniors who waited until after Jan 1 to sign up, I will grant you that. But even with delays caused by the INDIVIDUALS failure to sign up in December, GUESS WHAT? Starting Feb 1 they had insurance. Something they had never had before.

    Re: LA Sheriff Orders Inmates to Strip (none / 0) (#21)
    by scarshapedstar on Sun Feb 19, 2006 at 05:24:00 PM EST
    What I'm talking about is the thousands of pages of corporate handouts that have very little to do with helping anyone besides Big Pharma. Oh, and the $140 billion "surprise", one of the greatest Republican moments ever. Maybe next time they'll say it costs negative $1 trillion dollars and then, whoops, we must have forgotten to carry a one somewhere...

    Re: LA Sheriff Orders Inmates to Strip (none / 0) (#22)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Feb 20, 2006 at 08:04:23 AM EST
    scar - You respond to my specific example with various claims with absolutely no back up while accusing me of being a Repub. So, what are those "breaks?" And if the program has problems, why caren't the Demos "fixing" it? As usual they have no plans, no ideas. All they can do is attack the Repubs over national defense issues. Now. Is it your claim we can't afford it? My, my. How perfectly conservative Replublican of you. Congratulations. Are you enjoying the Country Club?

    Re: LA Sheriff Orders Inmates to Strip (none / 0) (#23)
    by Sailor on Mon Feb 20, 2006 at 08:54:00 AM EST
    back on topic: LA Sheriff Orders Inmates to Strip in a related story: deputies seen carrying large amount of dollar bills.

    LA Sheriff Orders Inmates to Strip | 21 comments (21 topical)