The New and Improved Sam Spade Good Post Gallery.

[Cactus Jack]

It reeks of favoritism.  As Sheriff Joe was only guilty of a misdemeanor, it's not like, say, letting Marc Rich off the hook.  But Arpaio never showed mercy to anyone.  "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy." (Matthew 5:7)  Somehow, Joe Arpaio doesn't come to mind when I think of this.

What's sad is I had a very devout coworker who once referred to Arpaio as a "hero" of his for the specific reason that he humiliated his inmates, many of whom *were not convicted of anything*. It always disgusted me, that level of hypocrisy.

I wish more saw things the way you do. Arpaio deserves no mercy from the state after his horrific abuses of the law, and I hope he gets sued out the kazoo in court.

I should also mention that I consider Arpaio to be a disgrace to the profession of corrections and criminal justice for the manner in which he administered the Maricopa County Jail.

People who are sentenced to incarceration are not sent to jail or prison "to be punished".  BEING CONFINED IN JAIL OR PRISON IS THE PUNISHMENT, IN AND OF ITSELF.  I don't type in all caps a lot, but this point is a core principle of corrections.  Most of the abuses that stem from misconduct on the part of correctional officers and correctional staff stem from violations of that principle.  

Housing folks in tents in Maricopa County, AZ, just to save money and "make an example out of criminals" is indefensible.  "Making an example" out of a criminal defendant is contrary to justice; the punishment of confinement ought to be deterrence enough without tent cities, pink jumpsuits on male inmates with the words "Clean and Sober" on them, no air conditioning, etc.; these are, IMO cruel and inhuman punishments.  I don't have problems with a Sheriff taking a proactive approach to law enforcement, and I don't have a problem with a Sheriff running a tight ship in his/her county jail, but I do have a problem with someone in that position who deliberately comes off as a self-righteous sadist.  That's my personal opinion of Joe Arpaio.  Men like him give serious Sheriffs an undeserved bad name.