THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, August 13, 1994 TAG: 9408120024
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 46 lines
Regarding ``U.S. tells Norfolk jail: Clean up or else'' (news, Aug. 6): I was very upset at the Justice Department's evaluation of the rights of prisoners.
Under the Constitution, everyone has the right to be treated with human decency. Did this report include the rights of deputies to be treated with respect and human decency?
The Justice Department states that prisoners are entitled to education and recreational outlets. Why? The role of the prison should be to address the issues regarding the behavior that got the prisoner there to begin with.
Juvenile inmates and adult prisoners haven't lived in a vacuum until prison. They have been offered education and recreational services before they committed crimes.
Let's put our money to better use. Let's get group therapy going daily with the prisoners to look at why they violate one another's rights in prison.
The Justice Department complains that the deputies don't respond to screams. Why are the prisoners screaming? Some screams are from prisoners who are mentally ill and need to be in Eastern State Hospital, not jail.
Who is going to assist the one poor deputy who has a block alone when an inmate decides to assault, spit, grab and verbally abuse the deputy?
What about addressing the issue of skeleton crews running shifts? What is the ratio of prisoners per deputy? What do deputies get paid? Why are the prisoners allowed to run the prison?
My tax dollars should be going to more hiring of deputies with adequate pay, more group-therapy sessions for prisoners motivated to change their behavior, more education to end chemical dependency and repeated criminal activity.
The Justice Department is enabling the prisoners to stay victims. Treat them like the men they really are. Make them accountable.
The Justice Department's approach is unfair to the Sheriff's Department when it continues to empower the prisoner and not the deputies.
SUSAN ASPREY
Chesapeake, Aug. 6, 1994 by CNB