Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Start The Waaaah-mbulance

I can hear the footsteps of the ACLU coming. towards a jail in Mason, TX. I'm wondering how long the ACLU is going to wait before they cry that being forced to wear pink in jail is considered "torture."
MASON, Texas (AP) - Three county inmates in the jail here lay on their bunks, not saying much.
They wore pink jumpsuits and pink slippers, and one was wrapped in pink sheets. They were surrounded by pink bars and pink walls.
They were not comfortable.
Despite the cramped condition of the tiny jail, the inmates said sitting there was better than working outside, where they might be seen by people they know. Using pink uniforms in a pink jail is a small step to deter inmates from ever wanting to spend more time in the Mason County Jail, which might be getting too old to operate, said Sheriff Clint Low.
... Low bought pink jumpsuits soon after taking office in 2005 and painted the jail pink about eight months ago. The jumpsuits are to keep inmates from coming back to jail, and the pink walls are designed to keep tempers and emotions cool in a jail that is tiny by today's standards.
... Low got the idea of pink jumpsuits from a sheriff in Arizona, Joe Arpaio, who bought pink boxers to keep inmates from stealing the underwear and other clothing. In Mason, Low dyed the jumpsuits and slippers pink, and the color later bled to sheets, underwear and other articles during washings.
Low, who was a deputy in Mason before being elected sheriff, estimated the re-offense rate in the county is down 70 percent since he switched to pink jumpsuits for the inmates. He also said there have been no fights between inmates in the jail since it was painted.

The ACLU is willing to overlook the fact that humiliating, or actually punishing criminals prevents further crime, as long as at least one person becomes uncomfortable in their prison cell. It's only a matter of time before they stick their nose in and ruin something that actually works.