Saturday, April 02, 2005
PROFITING FROM THE INMATE POPULATION
Several people commented on the statement we made about local Sheriffs being disinclined to help contemnors obtain speedy release from jail. They did not agree that retaining more prisoners could be to the financial advantages of the County Sheriffs. However, from our perspective, there are at least three ways in which local Sheriffs can personally profit from "the prison industry."
First, they can obtain contracts to provide services--such as food--to jail inmates. Abuses occur because Sheriffs routinely arrest people over the weekend when no Magistrates are available; as a result many of those charged (many of whom are eventually acquitted) have to spend the weekend in jail and eat a few meals. This was a longtime practice in Dorchester County, South Carolina, but was recently ended. Now, Dorchester County sometimes charges the prisoner directly for the meals. A $1.50 pizza, an orange drink, a glass of milk, and a bowl of cereal can cost $15.00 for those unlucky enough to get arrested in Dorchester County. And they have to pay before they can leave. The Sheriff calls this fee a "processing fee."
Second, Sheriffs can snag a percentage of the telephone toll charges for prisoners. In Dorchester County, Sheriff Nash now uses these funds to pay the salaries of a man who was one of his former campaign managers and the campaign manager of two candidates he enlisted to run for County Council. He calls the funds "prisoner recreation funds" and makes no bones about the fact that they are discretionary funds to do with as he chooses; even though some members of Dorchester County had once indicated that an audit of these accounts was in order, the practice has been continued unabated for several years without any public scrutiny.
And third, they can provide "voluntary" prison labor to their friends. In Nash's case, he provided transportation, guards, and prisoners to work on James Academy of Excellence, the now defunct Dorchester County Charter School. The children of many of Nash's friends and political supporters attended the school for the short period it was in existence and Dorchester School District Two is seeking reimbursement for alleged overpayment made to the school.
We do not want to suggest that every person jailed for contempt is a victim of the system. However, there are plenty of reasons why Sheriffs have no real incentive to speed up the process of getting prisoners released. Additionally, some people end up in jail only because of some serious systemic problems with the Family Court. Others remain in jail because they do not have the money to hire attorneys to overturn judicial errors. Therefore, efforts should be made to insure that only those who are truly in Contempt of Court are incarcerated and that they be given a meaningful opportunity for release so that there efforts can benefit their children rather than the children of those with political connections to the local Sheriff.
First, they can obtain contracts to provide services--such as food--to jail inmates. Abuses occur because Sheriffs routinely arrest people over the weekend when no Magistrates are available; as a result many of those charged (many of whom are eventually acquitted) have to spend the weekend in jail and eat a few meals. This was a longtime practice in Dorchester County, South Carolina, but was recently ended. Now, Dorchester County sometimes charges the prisoner directly for the meals. A $1.50 pizza, an orange drink, a glass of milk, and a bowl of cereal can cost $15.00 for those unlucky enough to get arrested in Dorchester County. And they have to pay before they can leave. The Sheriff calls this fee a "processing fee."
Second, Sheriffs can snag a percentage of the telephone toll charges for prisoners. In Dorchester County, Sheriff Nash now uses these funds to pay the salaries of a man who was one of his former campaign managers and the campaign manager of two candidates he enlisted to run for County Council. He calls the funds "prisoner recreation funds" and makes no bones about the fact that they are discretionary funds to do with as he chooses; even though some members of Dorchester County had once indicated that an audit of these accounts was in order, the practice has been continued unabated for several years without any public scrutiny.
And third, they can provide "voluntary" prison labor to their friends. In Nash's case, he provided transportation, guards, and prisoners to work on James Academy of Excellence, the now defunct Dorchester County Charter School. The children of many of Nash's friends and political supporters attended the school for the short period it was in existence and Dorchester School District Two is seeking reimbursement for alleged overpayment made to the school.
We do not want to suggest that every person jailed for contempt is a victim of the system. However, there are plenty of reasons why Sheriffs have no real incentive to speed up the process of getting prisoners released. Additionally, some people end up in jail only because of some serious systemic problems with the Family Court. Others remain in jail because they do not have the money to hire attorneys to overturn judicial errors. Therefore, efforts should be made to insure that only those who are truly in Contempt of Court are incarcerated and that they be given a meaningful opportunity for release so that there efforts can benefit their children rather than the children of those with political connections to the local Sheriff.
Labels: Civil Contempt, Institutional Mismanagement
