I could not even imagine see one of my kids like that. It does not matter what the kid did to get in there no one deserves that. There need to be more guards working at a time in prisons so they can walk around and protect other inmates. It is sickening for people to treat others like that. For one I hope those two kids that beat the boy up are punished and if they find the man with the phone that he is punished as well. If they have more guards working at the same time then things like this would not be so easy to get away with. There will be more eyes watching over the prison and more area being watched at the same time. It is crazy how these kids are locked away but still trying to represent there gang and trying to defend their gang when there gang is probably the reason there in there. Wrestler345
I couldn't imagine it either. I want to know how that picture was taken, I understand that people smuggle things into jail all the time but they should be able to find the phone. If I were that boys momma I would stop at no price to get my son out of there and at least have him transferred somewhere else. I want to know where the guards were. I don't believe that children should be left unsupervised enough for this to happen, and I don't think that children who's reason for being in jail is a nonviolent one should be with violent offenders.
I agree with all the things you said for the most part. When you talked about the way the inmates are being treated an how it is not right and that’s not the way I would want my kids treat is something I can’t agree more on. But also I feel that they shouldn’t treated completed fairly because I believe in tough love if I gets people better. K9 345
I agree with you completely. Kids and people are stupid today, maintaining their affiliations with their gangs when its because they were in a gang that they're in prison. And now because of their unnecessary loyalty they are going to have more time added to their sentence. But they don't care, because it shows how "hard" they are. A lot of the time, I think prison is a "eat or be eaten" kind of life. Either you victimize others or get victimized yourself. It needs to be fixed asap. You should just be able to do your time in peace, and not be afraid of others. Rescue007
I agree with you, I think there needs to be more guards available because of this happening. I think prisons should find solutions on how to remove gangs. I think it is crazy that this happened because it should have not happened at all. This happening just shows that inmates are not getting the protection that is needed while in prison and this problem needs to be fixed. JoJo345
Guys, think a bit deeper about this (RE: gang affliations). Why did they join the gang in the first place? The answer to that might also answer Rescue's question about why they continue it in prison: it's an eat or be eaten world. The same is true outside, for the pockets into which we've pressed gang violence. Even with those pockets, however, gun violence as a whole is going down. So what should we do about those that get eaten? If one doesn't have a gang affiliation, I would almost argue that the humiliation in prison would be worse.
Gangs become surrogate families on the outside. Prison's punishment is that it's lonely, that those people aren't allowed to participate in society anymore. Gangs provide a buffer against our cold inhumanity on this front (only some criminals benefit from being completely locked away in my eyes; serial killers and marijuana salesmen should not be treated with the same severity), the same way as on the outside. You're pointing to a deeper problem in society, mentioning gangs. I would encourage you to think it through and find out why it bugs you. And then vote accordingly.
I say 'front end' and habilitation programs are needed across the board here. Can't fathom where this behavior was learned? Maybe prison and home even?
There are definitely one to many questions here. I don't know how ten different delinquents beat another and no one saw it? Another one and was highlighted is the cell phone picture? This stems from gang violence for sure. I feel that it needs to be investigated and charges should be pressed. I also feel that the individual should sue the correctional institution you're telling me ten guys jump another and no one sees or hears anything? Like its not a correctional facility and you're officers are not to be overseeing these inmates. Definitely leadership and security flaws in the system big time. Spartan678
This story makes me sick, those boys should be in trouble for what they did and the person who posted the picture should be in a lot of trouble. This type of incident is what makes people worse when they get done with their time than they were when they went in. There is no reason for this behavior and to think that they would have gotten away with no one knowing if it weren't for the picture makes me want to know how guards don't know or don't stop them from doing this. Unless the guard is dirty and took and posted the picture then there is no reason for the boys actions to not have been stopped. I get turf or whatever but in jail the guards should be there to protect all of the inmates and not the ones who belong to their gang. It is not okay for any person to be treated like this, whether they are in jail or not. I believe that violent offenders and nonviolent offender should be kept separate.
I honesly agree with you the most, when people have a bad experience while incarcerated can lead them to come home and do more dangerous crimes then they had orginally comitted. The guards that were on duty infact knew what was going on i believe they just chose not to interact with it because what we see in movies are infact what actually happens in the jails today, we jsut never see it or hear about it. Until today, a child (even though he is 18) should have not had to be apart of something so hurtful and for it to be all over the internet and nothing is happening to the jails ward or guards is just another black crime that will never be considered by the federal agents. America is sad!!!!! Rebel345
In fact, I was surprised when I saw the picture then the video. The image reflects the moral decay and lack of conscience. For me this results from a psychiatric disorder. That’s why before judging those boys we need to know several things as the environment in which they lived, as well as their level education. And why they are in jail. If they have a case of recurrence, it means that society, state, and the failure of the prison to refine and reform the youth. This reflects the image. However, it should punish those who took the picture and the other young people because it worked exile of morality and humanitarian. And the guards in jail should be there to protect all of the inmates and not the ones who belong to their gang. hassan007
This is an issue that has needed to be brought to light for quite some time now. Many people believe that criminals deserve what they get in prison as an unspoken part of their punishment, but the acts made against this man and many other incarcerated member of society is unjust. Although these men and women have committed crimes to which they have earned their spots in prison they still have the right to protection and sense of security. If this so called "security" was doing the job intended for them I think the number of these attacks would drastically decrease. This is a prime example of the amount of rehabilitation the criminal justice system is failing to provide to our inmates and how much of a threat these men and women will continue to be if something isn't done. Either more security should be appointed or more qualified personnel that can handle they demanding tasks of the job at hand. Scooby345
I completely agree with the statement you made about people believing that criminals deserve the harsh treatment that they are given in prison as part of an unspoken punishment and it being completely wrong. They are in this facility for what ever reason, and depending on the crime committed they may deserve it, but in this case i don't believe its so. This young boy was treated in ways that could've killed him. I think that the security just might believe that inmates deserve the ways they are treated so they just might not work as hard as they should to protect the inmates, and that isn't fair. Bean007
“The criminal-justice system is broken, and conservatives must lead the way in fixing it.” (Mr. Gingrich)
I am glad this week our blog was about this specific topic. I came across this story last week friday and i nearly cried because this is the kind of things that happen in our jail systems. We are paying taxes just for people not to be able to have the type of supervision or protection they need from inmates that are twice as brutal then the next. This young man was beaten because he so called disrespected the "GD's" (gangsta deciples). How did the phone get in the jail in the first place? Why did it take the officers nearly all day to do a head count or peek into the inmates cell? For this child to be locked up with men who one backgrounds are worse then his is unfair. They lock people up and throw them anywhere in the jail not caring what ganga they belong to, or if they will be safe from rape or death. If the guards are allowing things like this to happen (which they are and sometimes a part of it) how should we feel when inmates are released from jail or when officers get off the clock their just as bad as the inmates just have a federal badge on their chest. You are neither safe incarcerated or out on the streets. Rebel345
I totally agree! There is a legal way to do things, followed by an illegal way as well. Most times in most prison system if you are not apart of a gang or group; more them likely you are beaten, raped, and abused. Which is unfair, yet prison isn't a safe haven. So what exactly can you expect once you become an inmate of warehousing? Tricey007
What this video and article points out is something that for many years and decades has been going on. The only reason it is coming out know is the technology has caught up with it. It is forcing the criminal justice system to make changes and really care about the well being of the inmates no matter what they did to get there. The parents should fight for the treatment of there family members. As this is going on the prisons should make an effort to change the problems of being short staffed or making the officers they have move more so they can catch the incites before and as they are happening more often. And addition to that they need to comply automatically and not what months for change things when the government supposedly tells them to. This I think will make for better relationship with the government and the community as a whole. K9 345
I agree absolutely with your points. The prisoners deserve changes and improvements to their quality of life. It has been going on for years, and is just now coming to light. It makes me wonder how many times this happens on a daily basis and gets carefully, even intentionally swept under a rug to avoid controversy. The families of these prisoners absolutely should fight for their rights, as should the American public. The people in these prisons are human beings and American citizens just like us. Prison should be a time for reform and contemplation, not humiliation and cruelty. It doesn't serve the prisoners and it doesn't serve the country as a whole to allow degrading behavior toward prisoners and then release them back into society expecting them to be corrected in their behavior. I hope this news does improve the relationship between govt and community. --Rainshadow007
You are completely right about the technology. Things like this has always happened and technology is getting better so others are finding out. Before there technology was not as good so no one knew what happened behind those bares besides the people behind them. Also agree that the parents need to fight for their child’s treatment. Wrestler345
After seeing the picture and video, many questions popped up in my head that could be asked by his family. I couldn't imagine just casually clicking on Facebook and seeing my child being put in this situation. Regardless of the reason he was put in this facility in the first place, he is in there to face his time in a safe and respected manner. He is in this correctional center to better himself, only to be tortured by the gang members in which he more than likely has had confrontation with before according to the caption from the photo. This is definitely a situation that needs to be investigated heavily. Not only are the guards not present in the way they should be, but the inmates aren't being checked properly for electronics and/or weapons. After being brought to the jails attention, I'm sure they will investigate this incident and address punishment to the members involved. Bean007
I see exactly where you’re coming from. It would suck real bad to click on Facebook and see your kid beat up and tied up like an animal. It would be tragic to see that and know that this is happening to your son probably every day of his life in prison. Wrestler678
I feel bad that this kid was part of this and sucks that he is beaten for his crimes. I feel that even tho you did a crime that landed you in prison you should still feel safe. You shouldn't be afraid to leave you cell or just walk around. I realize that people do sick things, but that is no reason to take a beating and be victim to pictures. The photo was very demeaning and the fact that this happens and no guard comes upon these is sad. I feel that people need to be monitored better and searches should be better when they go through peoples cells. Gt_racer678
Wow! This is totally cruel with all the wrong intentions. However, I am not the least bit surprised at the reactions of the guards and warden, surely it is expected. Incidents as such happen all the time. I know that they are personally aware of such pertinent issues. Cell phones are smuggled into prison systems frequently, several inmates have social network accounts dressed in their prison attire (khakis and stripes). You can't tell me that they aren't aware of such issues. I feel sorry for the helpless young fellow. No one deserves to be treated as an inhumane human being. If only there was more that could be done, those guys should be punished, along with the guard and warden. It wouldn't surprise me if it was an actual government official behind the recording of the phone. Tricey345
Prison has long been associated with inmate brutality, as shown in movies like Shawshank Redemption, especially back 20-30 years ago. People today expect to still be treated as human beings, not dogs that only need to be walked once a day and caged the rest of the time. It does need to be addressed and fixed, and Im glad that the governor decided to sign a law to stop non violent offenders from being tossed into prison with violent offenders. That alone will begin to reduce inmate violence because there wont be "weak" together with "strong". Employing more correctional officers that take their job seriously and do their checks in a timely matter will reduce issues as well. Rescue007
It is horrible what can go on in prison systems today. Just think, these instnces are just ones we heard about,, what abuse goes on that is never reported and/or adressed. There really needs to be more security in prisons,legit ones,who do their jobs correctly. Many security guards are corrupt in the manor of supplying prisons with drugs,and weapons of sorts. A mother shouldn't have to worry with her chld in state custody. They are in there doing their time a expected, security should do their job as expected.On the other hand, some people deserve what comes to them. What is the story behind this being done to him? Maybe he abused someone in one of their families, or hurt one of them in some way,,payback can be a bitch at times, of course, IF something like that is the case.Two wrongs still do not make a right! Trinity9007
I want to go on record saying that that this is sicking, disrespectful, and inhumane. This violates his civil rights on some many levels. The level of safety for the inmates show her in this picture. Inmates are put in jail and prisons not to be beat and tied up as trophies. The fact the correctional officer that was on duty didn't complete his task. Inmates are to be checked on periodically. This young man could of been dead he could of escaped and or caused harm to another human being in that time frame. The prison then goes publicly to say something about smuggling things into the prison. To me that statement is saying if it wasn't for the phone this could of been covered up if the inmate wanted to tell his family about the incident. I also believe that the C.O. could have had something to do with it. Does the C.O. always go hours without checking on the inmates. There should be an investigation on the prison. MotherOf4678
Inmates are human beings, regardless of committing past crimes. They deserve integrity and respect, even in prison. And that includes not being beaten or humiliated. More needs to be done about this situation. Not just more security brought into the prison, but a system of trust among inmates and guards so that the inmates can feel safe coming to the guards if they feel threatened by other individuals or groups of fellow prisoners.
How will prison help this young man? Chances are, it won't. His time in prison will only humiliate and probably create feelings of anger and resentment in him. It won't teach him any lessons, it won't make him realize his actions were wrong. It will just drive a deeper anger and unrest into him and then release him back into society no better than before. It's a perfect example of the warehousing cycle. --Rainshadow007
I could not even imagine see one of my kids like that. It does not matter what the kid did to get in there no one deserves that. There need to be more guards working at a time in prisons so they can walk around and protect other inmates. It is sickening for people to treat others like that. For one I hope those two kids that beat the boy up are punished and if they find the man with the phone that he is punished as well. If they have more guards working at the same time then things like this would not be so easy to get away with. There will be more eyes watching over the prison and more area being watched at the same time. It is crazy how these kids are locked away but still trying to represent there gang and trying to defend their gang when there gang is probably the reason there in there. Wrestler678
I think this is a major problem that needs to get addresses as soon as possible. Nobody deserves what this guy went through no matter why they are locked up. I think it is ridiculous that this beating could go on so long without any of the guards breaking it up. This obviously means there is a security problem that needs to get fixed as soon as possible. I am sure this isn't the only time this has happened and it all has to do with security. Nobody should have to go through this especially someone that didn't even do anything and was just jumped by 10 guys. AD678
I completely agree with your statement. I feel like there needs to be better security within the Georgia Prison systems. Things like this shouldn't happen to anyone in a place where your life is put in that much danger. -AUT345
I agree with you completely because no one deserve to deal with this beating. I think the guards need to be retrained because there seems to be a miscommunication for this abuse to happen. The correctional officers need to be more observant and communicate better. Which could happen if we could decrease the amount of inmates that are locked up. JoJo678
When I see things like this, there are 2 questions that arise. First being how could inmates have access to a cell phone within the prison. The second question is why did It take the guards so long to come to this young mans aid. I feel that this was a major security mistake. There needs to be better kept tabs on what prisoners have access to and the consequences that may come with certain items. I also feel that most of this could have been avoided if more correctional officers were paying attention and being more ready to prevent things like this happening. Ultimately I feel that a few officers will be losing their jobs as well as a big lawsuit. -AUT345
As I was watching the video and reading the article, I was thinking the same thing about how the cell phone got in there. While something small like a prepaid flip phone may be easier to smuggle in, a smartphone with access to a wireless network and a camera would be much bigger. I feel as if the officers were a tad lazy on their search. I do not have kids of my own but I can only imagine the pain a parent must feel seeing their kid getting abused, despite already paying the price for his crimes. Personally, if I were the officers, I would look into a device that could sense wireless signals inside the cell areas to help prevent this from happening. -Craft345
I think it is very shocking that is this happened. I know that abuse can happen but I feel this time it was way out of proportion. I would never want this to happen to my child. I think that the prison should have dealt with their security a little bit better because this abuse was not handled correctly. I understand that what he did was wrong but no matter what no one deserves that much of abuse due to a crime they commit. JoJo345
This article was a fine example of how the prisons are not being ran correctly. Our prisons across the states are overcrowded and this problem needs to be fixed. The abuse that this man went through was not okay and should never happen again. I think the security needs to be addressed because of how dramatic this case was. This just shows that having the prisons overcrowded does not give a balanced amount of correctional officers to handle all the inmates. This problem could be fixed if the system handled how each inmate was convicted and maybe figured out a better way to sentence certain crimes. JoJo678
So true. I am hoping that prisons learn from the mistakes made here, and step-up their game to increase the welfare of inmates, because this is just disgraceful.
You bring up a good point with overcrowding. I think the other issue is being understaffed. The guards should have been more aware of this but with how many prisoners there are to inmates I can see where it can be difficult. But bottom line is that the guy didn't need that. That isn't why we send people to prison. Cowboy678
I do agree with the overcrowding, but the solutions that we seem to be after are almost a one-size-fits-all deal. This is not a one size fits all problems, things that work in one state will not work in another. Rural areas pose a unique challenge just like the inner city does. The correctional officers being understaffed is not a new problem, just one that is slowly being brought to light in the fact that there are more prison reforms now and its being brought to the public's attention. Medic678
After seeing this video and picture, I would really hope those responsible had some sort of punishment for their actions. It's just like what we've talked about when family members see/hear what happened to loved ones while locked up and they want to get revenge for the pain/death of their loved one. I'm not sure how it started but having more than one on one fighting isnt going to be fair and it's not right. Those men that jumped the one man wouldn't know what to do if the circumstances were the other way around. The problem is that they dont think that way when they feel disrespected. Even just voicing your opinion would have been much better. This goes into many movies that were created about gangs and even the different races. If they were to work together they would see that they are the same. Now whenever these men get released, they already have people looking for them for what they did while locked up. Who knows when they will be put right back in for doing the same thing. Obviously their family on the outside now has to worry about going places since the man beaten has family that's looking to get even. So both sides of these events are in dangerous situations. It is really hard to believe the guards didnt check on them between 3 and 9? Makes you wonder where they were that entire time or if they knew and turned their backs. I mean at least trying to get there would be better than not knowing or trying to stop it. Lou007
I read this article and think of what it means for my country. My people. We don't have many centralizing figures; no king, no national religion, no central cause, no one government party running everything, or even a group that a majority of people rally around. Most other countries have one of those things. We don't, really. Except for maybe one: industry.
One thing this country gets extremely concerned about (but never does anything truly meaningful for) is terrorism. We now sigh but take it as our shoes are forced off in airports because of one man, our naked bodies scanned by strangers (though this is on its way out) because of another, with little to no thought of how or why those two people got to the place they did. How does any person get over the hump of feeling bad when they kill or hurt someone?
In this country, my country, these two factors are linked by a common thread: we the people are ready to believe any leader who has the answers. Yes, the men who committed this crime are trash and should be locked up. I approve of that. The men in charge of the system that implemented this crime (correctional officers only go so high, and even the warden serves somebody), like the named Newt Gingrich and others, readily took up the chant of "Toss em in and forget em!" in the 1990s. This country, my country, elected men like that because this country so easily rallies around the thought that some people are bad and some are good, as if morality ever worked in black-and-white. When we finally get the news reports that hey, maybe locking up non-violent criminals with extremely violent ones with little to no funding for supervision is a *bad* idea, we are shocked and wonder what to do. Well, obviously we should've avoided getting here in the first place. But what to do now?
The answer to that is simple: increase your taxes and increase the correctional officer hiring. And yet, here comes the second point coming into play. We are a reactionary society, with a very short attention span. Even my own self, knowing all I've written, would still pause at the increase of my taxes to prevent something like this. After all, in the end, how does it help me? Obviously more security would help to prevent acts like this. It's just not sexy enough to keep this country, my country, looking its way. We'll look at this, just like we looked at Abu Gharib, and go on with our day.
Look around you as you walk about today, though. Look at all the people laughing around you, and know that statistically, at least a few of them will end up in prison. Possibly like the person being disgraced in this picture. It doesn't have to be your son. It could be your friend, or some relative. If we don't want this happening again, we're going to need to stop being reactive and be proactive. Don't listen to a politician who is "tough on crime." The feverish eagerness with which Gingrich and his Congress put people in prison led to this situation, and they were only backed up by the American people themselves.
We elected those people, knowing they would cause this. Or, if we didn't know, we chose not to. We didn't think out the effects. Here they are. Only three men are pictured, but all of us share the disgrace. The next time you get feverishly caught up in any cause (which is not inherently a bad thing), make sure you stop to check yourself. If you were on the other side of your words, how would you feel? Is what you're doing actually effective? Because if it isn't, people will remember that these people, my people, at this time, had the exact same problems as our parents.
I wish, for once, that we would stop championing the strong and listen to the pleas of the weak.
We can complain and point fingers all we want but the bottom line is that these kinds of things have always happened, currently happen on a daily basis, and will continue to happen because no one can control the decisions another chooses to make. People know what goes on in prisons yet they choose to commit crimes which put themselves in a position where they may end up there. On top of that if you join a gang or get into an altercation with a gang member you are also making a choice that you well know may put you at an unnecessary risk of violence. When the guards stand right there to constantly monitor prisoners 24/7, the prisoners become more violent and agitated because they feel they have no privacy. So then the correctional system is forced to give them so much privacy because of all the liberal "activists" who demand the prisoners are given so many amenities. Then when that privacy is given, the prisoners do things like what we saw in the video. Correctional officers can only do so much with their limited authority and because of that there will always be things like this to happen. Murphy's law states anything that can go wrong will go wrong; if people have the opportunity to commit violent acts, some of them undoubtedly will. The only real solution is to avoid prison altogether by not committing felonies. Dynasty007
I have to agree.....if the right choices were made from the beginning, there would be no chance of this kind of thing happening to you in the first place. It does not matter how many guards there are, how many times they do their checks, or how often these inmates are monitored, this type of thing will always happen. Inmates have a lot of times on their hands and eventually they find the loop holes and know how to work the system, just like they do outside of prison. They know what guards they can get around and what guards they can't. I'm sure this incident happened during one of those more 'lazy' guard's shift. It is sad, however, that we take these sort of people off of the streets to protect everyone else, and then they end up the victim because of this type of violence on the inside. No matter where you go, there you are. blonndie007
I understand that people do things to put themselves into jail, but the fact is that these are kids, not adults. Some kids don’t know any better or grew up in a place where all they have seen is crime. Just because a kid did something wrong should not mean their punishment should be getting beat up on top of having to be in jail already. You have a very good point though. flxr007
I find it crazy that the guards had no idea that ten prisoners who they were supposed to be supervising were able to attack another prisoner, put a leash on him, take a picture, and post it on facebook. On top of that I don't see how the people who beat the boy even got a cell phone into the prison in the first place. The guards should have been able to find that easily. It really shows how badly that prison is being run. If one story like that saw the light of day, just think about how many haven't. There could be hundreds of incidents like that going on today and we would have no idea.
I completely agree with you. There is no reason for that this should have happened. With that being said, besides beatings, sexual assault and abuse is occurring, and to me this is just as bad. It seems like the guards are not doing their job. I would be scared to go to prison just for the simple fact that I would not want to get raped or beaten. nurse007
this is a clearly flawed system, and we no they realize it. it is both. I no they try to control there issues in the way of there state. Heres the thing though, with certain people, there is just no changing. It will be a constant struggle from here on out to attempt to fix things that have been piling up for way to many years with a criminal justice system that is way to overworked and underfunded.
Wow. This amazes me as to how all of this occurred, from the beating of the fellow inmate to the use of a cell phone to capture the image. The point that stuck out to me as powerful in this article was the question of “is prison really deterring men?” because (obviously) according to the picture, it isn’t. And unfortunately, there are those social groups of deviants who believe that ‘life behind bars’ is the only life they ever plan of having, so they sort of own it, or to say in better, make the best of it. It is sickening to think that there are people in this society who get joy from degrading other people. It’s even worse when they’re glorifying themselves STILL degrading others, but behind bars.
No matter what the crime the inmate has done, no one deserves a beating like that. We send people to prison because we want to rehabilitate them. We don't send them there to get punished by someone who is more ruthless then them. Ultimately I believe this falls a lot on the guards. They were not on top of there game. They let an inmate get savagely beaten and not to mention they even didn't notice that a cell phone got snuck in during the process. Cowboy678
This article points out many interesting arguments. However, this article is extremely biased in the fact that it only shows the views from the parents and families of the victim. While the intention of some prisons is to rehabilitate offenders and prevent recidivism, it often times turns into housing them and protecting the community from them. With budget cuts, there is no possible way for there to be more staffing. In an ideal world, more staff would be wonderful. Logistically and financially it is a nightmare! The photo in question appears to be in a bathroom, where guards are usually not allowed as it is an invasion of privacy. The age old argument still stands, how much privacy are we willing to give up in order to remain safe? Prisoners fight every day for more privacy and it is shown in lawsuits across the nation of inmates suing the jails and prisons due to the fact that they feel their right to privacy has been violated. There are even more of them stating that the jails and prisons did not do enough to protect them, it is an argument that goes in circles for ages and ages and is only getting worse in the era of technology. Cameras and body scanners would be nice as well. Although the costs to have these are substantial, they could reduce the risks of full body and hands on searches. They use them in civilian airports, why couldn't we use them in prison? This would have prevented the smuggling of the phone into the prison in the first place. This has caused some negative feedback from the public, but has ultimately been accepted as a safe practice. Medic678
This incident was very heartbreaking, I think. I know that we take the bad guys off of the streets for a reason, but this inmate, as well as every inmate, does not deserve this type of abuse. I think that because of this incident, this particular facility should 'tighten up' on their rules and regulations. They should be doing checks of the inmates more often and just be monitoring them all more closely. Yes, it is very hard in a large facility to monitor every single inmate at every moment of the day, but when you have things like this going on, it should be a top priority. On the other hand, I do feel that no matter what things are done to improve the environment from this type of thing happening again, it is still going to happen. I think that because the inmates have more than enough time on their hands, they will look for things to make that time go by. I'm sure they know what guards they can get past and which ones they can't. It is sad though, that this young man (yes, young man, because that is what he is) had to endure this type of abuse while in the system. blonndie78
Yes this is a very sad event to happen in a prison but we only are getting one side of the story to judge which in my eyes does make it hard to really judge this because you really don't know what the kid did or didn't do to get beat up the bigger problem that i do know is that their security must not be very good for someone to get a phone in their to me thats where they need to start on fixing their issue at this point. Demoderby007
I think it is terrible that this happened to this kid, especially in a place where all activity is supposed to be monitored 24/7. It is sad that the picture was found on the internet for others to see. Knowing that a phone was brought into the jail makes me wonder how strict and secure the jail is and how thorough security is. I also wonder why the two boys beat up this kid, and if it is associated with their gang affiliation. Especially since these are kids, monitoring the jail is very important and I don’t feel as if the CO’s were keeping as close of a watch as they should’ve been. I bet after seeing this, parents are afraid of what could happen to their child if sent to jail. The law enforces that jails are to be made as safe as possible which includes checking on inmates and making sure everything is going how it should. The fact that it took an hour for the guard to notice this happening is not okay and changes should be made to ensure nothing like this happens in the future. flxr007
It is horrible that it happen to the kid but we can't really know that the kid did nothing to start it or he might have done nothing at all just not been down with there gang. the most embarrassing part to me is the security and guards in this they either must not have any real leadership or a leadership that don't care as long as they don't have any major issues. You can't tell me that they really care if they don't care to do checks more often then that. To me it seems like the guards their see the job as just that a job to collect a pay check to pay bill if that is the case then they need to find a new job that they really care about because they can't care if they don't take the time to do rounds more often then once an hour if they even do that. The prison needs to work on their security system because they seems like they don't have one if someone got a phone in. I know When i went to visit the Pontiac prison as a visitor we were ran threw metal detectors and had a pat down just to take a tour of the joint and we didn't go anywhere near where any inmates where at the time. Demoderby007
After the jail visit, we heard first hand that some guards are lazy, and it is clearly being excepted. Well in my opinion this is unacceptable. The distressing picture really has affected me. It seems that gangs have developed to protect themselves when going to jail or prison because they know when joining a gang, that is where they most likely will end up. In getting away with this abuse, it seems that the two men were smoothly coordinated in their acts. They probably worked around cell searches, and other around the clock measures. It is their home, because that is where they are living, but it does not give them a right to torture others who are not in the same gang. The individual beaten has the right to potentially sue the institution for the acts committed against him. I feel very sorry for the boys family and she has the right to understand why this happened as well. nurse007
I agree with the first statement completely! If the person in charge knows that their workers are lazy, then why keep them around? Our work force (my generation anyways), I feel has NO or very little work ethic! I cannot stand people who do the very minimum or even less than that. I'm in charge of a department at work and I make sure stuff gets done. You can't have lazy people working with you. It makes everything go down. If you are union and can't just fire them for the reason that they are lazy, then you (as the boss of that prison), needs to get your hands dirty and go work with them; you can't stay in an office all day if you want things to be running smoothly! army27D-012
I wasn't to sure what was happening when we talked about it in class. After I read the article though, I first questioned what the Abu Ghraib pictures were. I continued reading and I thought that what happened to the 18 year old was horrible and that there should have been no way that half those stories could have been overlooked by guards, especially the one where it lasted two days. The guards should have been more aware of what was going on in the cells. The spike in contraband seems to be going up. Criminals keep coming up with better ways to sneak that stuff in or the guards just aren't looking to well. Another point that I questioned was the fact of crime vs. law. I believe that depending on the offense and offenders, that they should be separated depending on what they did. I do realize though that you can only do so much with what you have. After reading the article, I looked up those pictures and was stunned! It was horrifying to see those pictures. Although the Georgia one wasn't as bad to look at, they are both inhumane. I think that the abuse in prisons is awful and could be helped a little bit more with the guards. I also realize that some prisons are huge and you only have so much help, but two days! army27D-012
When an individual is incarcerated they are serving time for a crime they committed. When you are sent to jail or to prison you will no longer be considered free to be able to walk the streets, or go to the movie theatre anytime you wish to go. When someone is locked up for a crime they committed being locked up is their punishment. The guards that are employed for that facility need to ensure they are watching over inmates to make sure that no rough play or violent torture is happening while someone is incarcerated. While watching this and reading the article it really proves to be an eye opener for everyone to see that this kind of stuff does happen. Guards need to also take pride in their position with the facility and make positive changes to help keep not only your fellow employee’s but the inmates safe too. Publicity from the media can tear an organization apart. Having guards that are keeping a close eye as to what the inmates are doing will help keep them safe and not have additional law suits that will down the road be pending against them because they’re not keeping everyone safe. General-012
What is sad is the fact that there are many judicial systems across the country that have the same issues. Prison is where an individual goes who is charged with or convicted of crimes that provides confinement until brought to trial or completion of incarceration that was sentenced. Its also supposed to be a place of monitoring and safety for the inmates that are there. The guards may be getting more lazy as they began to progress in their career, but if there is access to things on the outside that are coming in, it is possible that this could happen to them. The kid didn't deserve to have this happen to him. The officers could have done more things to prevent this from happening or reached the kid at an earlier time. The family has rights to know what, how, and why this happened. There is no surprise that when something so serious occurs, there will be a lawsuit filed.
I could not even imagine see one of my kids like that. It does not matter what the kid did to get in there no one deserves that. There need to be more guards working at a time in prisons so they can walk around and protect other inmates. It is sickening for people to treat others like that. For one I hope those two kids that beat the boy up are punished and if they find the man with the phone that he is punished as well. If they have more guards working at the same time then things like this would not be so easy to get away with. There will be more eyes watching over the prison and more area being watched at the same time. It is crazy how these kids are locked away but still trying to represent there gang and trying to defend their gang when there gang is probably the reason there in there.
ReplyDeleteWrestler345
I couldn't imagine it either. I want to know how that picture was taken, I understand that people smuggle things into jail all the time but they should be able to find the phone. If I were that boys momma I would stop at no price to get my son out of there and at least have him transferred somewhere else. I want to know where the guards were. I don't believe that children should be left unsupervised enough for this to happen, and I don't think that children who's reason for being in jail is a nonviolent one should be with violent offenders.
Delete^ hello_sweetie007
DeleteI agree with all the things you said for the most part. When you talked about the way the inmates are being treated an how it is not right and that’s not the way I would want my kids treat is something I can’t agree more on. But also I feel that they shouldn’t treated completed fairly because I believe in tough love if I gets people better.
DeleteK9 345
I agree with you completely. Kids and people are stupid today, maintaining their affiliations with their gangs when its because they were in a gang that they're in prison. And now because of their unnecessary loyalty they are going to have more time added to their sentence. But they don't care, because it shows how "hard" they are. A lot of the time, I think prison is a "eat or be eaten" kind of life. Either you victimize others or get victimized yourself. It needs to be fixed asap. You should just be able to do your time in peace, and not be afraid of others. Rescue007
DeleteI agree with you, I think there needs to be more guards available because of this happening. I think prisons should find solutions on how to remove gangs. I think it is crazy that this happened because it should have not happened at all. This happening just shows that inmates are not getting the protection that is needed while in prison and this problem needs to be fixed.
DeleteJoJo345
Guys, think a bit deeper about this (RE: gang affliations). Why did they join the gang in the first place? The answer to that might also answer Rescue's question about why they continue it in prison: it's an eat or be eaten world. The same is true outside, for the pockets into which we've pressed gang violence. Even with those pockets, however, gun violence as a whole is going down. So what should we do about those that get eaten? If one doesn't have a gang affiliation, I would almost argue that the humiliation in prison would be worse.
DeleteGangs become surrogate families on the outside. Prison's punishment is that it's lonely, that those people aren't allowed to participate in society anymore. Gangs provide a buffer against our cold inhumanity on this front (only some criminals benefit from being completely locked away in my eyes; serial killers and marijuana salesmen should not be treated with the same severity), the same way as on the outside. You're pointing to a deeper problem in society, mentioning gangs. I would encourage you to think it through and find out why it bugs you. And then vote accordingly.
-LittleJimmyBond007
I say 'front end' and habilitation programs are needed across the board here. Can't fathom where this behavior was learned? Maybe prison and home even?
ReplyDeleteThere are definitely one to many questions here. I don't know how ten different delinquents beat another and no one saw it? Another one and was highlighted is the cell phone picture? This stems from gang violence for sure. I feel that it needs to be investigated and charges should be pressed. I also feel that the individual should sue the correctional institution you're telling me ten guys jump another and no one sees or hears anything? Like its not a correctional facility and you're officers are not to be overseeing these inmates. Definitely leadership and security flaws in the system big time.
ReplyDeleteSpartan678
This story makes me sick, those boys should be in trouble for what they did and the person who posted the picture should be in a lot of trouble. This type of incident is what makes people worse when they get done with their time than they were when they went in. There is no reason for this behavior and to think that they would have gotten away with no one knowing if it weren't for the picture makes me want to know how guards don't know or don't stop them from doing this. Unless the guard is dirty and took and posted the picture then there is no reason for the boys actions to not have been stopped. I get turf or whatever but in jail the guards should be there to protect all of the inmates and not the ones who belong to their gang. It is not okay for any person to be treated like this, whether they are in jail or not. I believe that violent offenders and nonviolent offender should be kept separate.
ReplyDeletehello_sweetie007
I honesly agree with you the most, when people have a bad experience while incarcerated can lead them to come home and do more dangerous crimes then they had orginally comitted. The guards that were on duty infact knew what was going on i believe they just chose not to interact with it because what we see in movies are infact what actually happens in the jails today, we jsut never see it or hear about it. Until today, a child (even though he is 18) should have not had to be apart of something so hurtful and for it to be all over the internet and nothing is happening to the jails ward or guards is just another black crime that will never be considered by the federal agents. America is sad!!!!!
DeleteRebel345
In fact, I was surprised when I saw the picture then the video. The image reflects the moral decay and lack of conscience. For me this results from a psychiatric disorder. That’s why before judging those boys we need to know several things as the environment in which they lived, as well as their level education. And why they are in jail. If they have a case of recurrence, it means that society, state, and the failure of the prison to refine and reform the youth. This reflects the image. However, it should punish those who took the picture and the other young people because it worked exile of morality and humanitarian. And the guards in jail should be there to protect all of the inmates and not the ones who belong to their gang. hassan007
ReplyDeleteThis is an issue that has needed to be brought to light for quite some time now. Many people believe that criminals deserve what they get in prison as an unspoken part of their punishment, but the acts made against this man and many other incarcerated member of society is unjust. Although these men and women have committed crimes to which they have earned their spots in prison they still have the right to protection and sense of security. If this so called "security" was doing the job intended for them I think the number of these attacks would drastically decrease. This is a prime example of the amount of rehabilitation the criminal justice system is failing to provide to our inmates and how much of a threat these men and women will continue to be if something isn't done. Either more security should be appointed or more qualified personnel that can handle they demanding tasks of the job at hand. Scooby345
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with the statement you made about people believing that criminals deserve the harsh treatment that they are given in prison as part of an unspoken punishment and it being completely wrong. They are in this facility for what ever reason, and depending on the crime committed they may deserve it, but in this case i don't believe its so. This young boy was treated in ways that could've killed him. I think that the security just might believe that inmates deserve the ways they are treated so they just might not work as hard as they should to protect the inmates, and that isn't fair. Bean007
Delete“The criminal-justice system is broken, and conservatives must lead the way in fixing it.” (Mr. Gingrich)
ReplyDeleteI am glad this week our blog was about this specific topic. I came across this story last week friday and i nearly cried because this is the kind of things that happen in our jail systems. We are paying taxes just for people not to be able to have the type of supervision or protection they need from inmates that are twice as brutal then the next. This young man was beaten because he so called disrespected the "GD's" (gangsta deciples). How did the phone get in the jail in the first place? Why did it take the officers nearly all day to do a head count or peek into the inmates cell? For this child to be locked up with men who one backgrounds are worse then his is unfair. They lock people up and throw them anywhere in the jail not caring what ganga they belong to, or if they will be safe from rape or death. If the guards are allowing things like this to happen (which they are and sometimes a part of it) how should we feel when inmates are released from jail or when officers get off the clock their just as bad as the inmates just have a federal badge on their chest. You are neither safe incarcerated or out on the streets.
Rebel345
I totally agree! There is a legal way to do things, followed by an illegal way as well. Most times in most prison system if you are not apart of a gang or group; more them likely you are beaten, raped, and abused. Which is unfair, yet prison isn't a safe haven. So what exactly can you expect once you become an inmate of warehousing? Tricey007
DeleteWhat this video and article points out is something that for many years and decades has been going on. The only reason it is coming out know is the technology has caught up with it. It is forcing the criminal justice system to make changes and really care about the well being of the inmates no matter what they did to get there. The parents should fight for the treatment of there family members. As this is going on the prisons should make an effort to change the problems of being short staffed or making the officers they have move more so they can catch the incites before and as they are happening more often. And addition to that they need to comply automatically and not what months for change things when the government supposedly tells them to. This I think will make for better relationship with the government and the community as a whole.
ReplyDeleteK9 345
I agree absolutely with your points. The prisoners deserve changes and improvements to their quality of life. It has been going on for years, and is just now coming to light. It makes me wonder how many times this happens on a daily basis and gets carefully, even intentionally swept under a rug to avoid controversy. The families of these prisoners absolutely should fight for their rights, as should the American public. The people in these prisons are human beings and American citizens just like us. Prison should be a time for reform and contemplation, not humiliation and cruelty. It doesn't serve the prisoners and it doesn't serve the country as a whole to allow degrading behavior toward prisoners and then release them back into society expecting them to be corrected in their behavior. I hope this news does improve the relationship between govt and community. --Rainshadow007
DeleteYou are completely right about the technology. Things like this has always happened and technology is getting better so others are finding out. Before there technology was not as good so no one knew what happened behind those bares besides the people behind them. Also agree that the parents need to fight for their child’s treatment.
DeleteWrestler345
After seeing the picture and video, many questions popped up in my head that could be asked by his family. I couldn't imagine just casually clicking on Facebook and seeing my child being put in this situation. Regardless of the reason he was put in this facility in the first place, he is in there to face his time in a safe and respected manner. He is in this correctional center to better himself, only to be tortured by the gang members in which he more than likely has had confrontation with before according to the caption from the photo. This is definitely a situation that needs to be investigated heavily. Not only are the guards not present in the way they should be, but the inmates aren't being checked properly for electronics and/or weapons. After being brought to the jails attention, I'm sure they will investigate this incident and address punishment to the members involved. Bean007
ReplyDeleteI see exactly where you’re coming from. It would suck real bad to click on Facebook and see your kid beat up and tied up like an animal. It would be tragic to see that and know that this is happening to your son probably every day of his life in prison.
DeleteWrestler678
I feel bad that this kid was part of this and sucks that he is beaten for his crimes. I feel that even tho you did a crime that landed you in prison you should still feel safe. You shouldn't be afraid to leave you cell or just walk around. I realize that people do sick things, but that is no reason to take a beating and be victim to pictures. The photo was very demeaning and the fact that this happens and no guard comes upon these is sad. I feel that people need to be monitored better and searches should be better when they go through peoples cells. Gt_racer678
ReplyDeleteWow! This is totally cruel with all the wrong intentions. However, I am not the least bit surprised at the reactions of the guards and warden, surely it is expected. Incidents as such happen all the time. I know that they are personally aware of such pertinent issues. Cell phones are smuggled into prison systems frequently, several inmates have social network accounts dressed in their prison attire (khakis and stripes). You can't tell me that they aren't aware of such issues. I feel sorry for the helpless young fellow. No one deserves to be treated as an inhumane human being. If only there was more that could be done, those guys should be punished, along with the guard and warden. It wouldn't surprise me if it was an actual government official behind the recording of the phone. Tricey345
ReplyDeletePrison has long been associated with inmate brutality, as shown in movies like Shawshank Redemption, especially back 20-30 years ago. People today expect to still be treated as human beings, not dogs that only need to be walked once a day and caged the rest of the time. It does need to be addressed and fixed, and Im glad that the governor decided to sign a law to stop non violent offenders from being tossed into prison with violent offenders. That alone will begin to reduce inmate violence because there wont be "weak" together with "strong". Employing more correctional officers that take their job seriously and do their checks in a timely matter will reduce issues as well. Rescue007
ReplyDeleteIt is horrible what can go on in prison systems today. Just think, these instnces are just ones we heard about,, what abuse goes on that is never reported and/or adressed. There really needs to be more security in prisons,legit ones,who do their jobs correctly. Many security guards are corrupt in the manor of supplying prisons with drugs,and weapons of sorts. A mother shouldn't have to worry with her chld in state custody. They are in there doing their time a expected, security should do their job as expected.On the other hand, some people deserve what comes to them. What is the story behind this being done to him? Maybe he abused someone in one of their families, or hurt one of them in some way,,payback can be a bitch at times, of course, IF something like that is the case.Two wrongs still do not make a right! Trinity9007
ReplyDeleteI want to go on record saying that that this is sicking, disrespectful, and inhumane. This violates his civil rights on some many levels. The level of safety for the inmates show her in this picture. Inmates are put in jail and prisons not to be beat and tied up as trophies. The fact the correctional officer that was on duty didn't complete his task. Inmates are to be checked on periodically. This young man could of been dead he could of escaped and or caused harm to another human being in that time frame. The prison then goes publicly to say something about smuggling things into the prison. To me that statement is saying if it wasn't for the phone this could of been covered up if the inmate wanted to tell his family about the incident. I also believe that the C.O. could have had something to do with it. Does the C.O. always go hours without checking on the inmates. There should be an investigation on the prison. MotherOf4678
ReplyDeleteInmates are human beings, regardless of committing past crimes. They deserve integrity and respect, even in prison. And that includes not being beaten or humiliated. More needs to be done about this situation. Not just more security brought into the prison, but a system of trust among inmates and guards so that the inmates can feel safe coming to the guards if they feel threatened by other individuals or groups of fellow prisoners.
ReplyDeleteHow will prison help this young man? Chances are, it won't. His time in prison will only humiliate and probably create feelings of anger and resentment in him. It won't teach him any lessons, it won't make him realize his actions were wrong. It will just drive a deeper anger and unrest into him and then release him back into society no better than before. It's a perfect example of the warehousing cycle. --Rainshadow007
I could not even imagine see one of my kids like that. It does not matter what the kid did to get in there no one deserves that. There need to be more guards working at a time in prisons so they can walk around and protect other inmates. It is sickening for people to treat others like that. For one I hope those two kids that beat the boy up are punished and if they find the man with the phone that he is punished as well. If they have more guards working at the same time then things like this would not be so easy to get away with. There will be more eyes watching over the prison and more area being watched at the same time. It is crazy how these kids are locked away but still trying to represent there gang and trying to defend their gang when there gang is probably the reason there in there.
ReplyDeleteWrestler678
I think this is a major problem that needs to get addresses as soon as possible. Nobody deserves what this guy went through no matter why they are locked up. I think it is ridiculous that this beating could go on so long without any of the guards breaking it up. This obviously means there is a security problem that needs to get fixed as soon as possible. I am sure this isn't the only time this has happened and it all has to do with security. Nobody should have to go through this especially someone that didn't even do anything and was just jumped by 10 guys. AD678
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your statement. I feel like there needs to be better security within the Georgia Prison systems. Things like this shouldn't happen to anyone in a place where your life is put in that much danger. -AUT345
DeleteI agree with you completely because no one deserve to deal with this beating. I think the guards need to be retrained because there seems to be a miscommunication for this abuse to happen. The correctional officers need to be more observant and communicate better. Which could happen if we could decrease the amount of inmates that are locked up.
DeleteJoJo678
When I see things like this, there are 2 questions that arise. First being how could inmates have access to a cell phone within the prison. The second question is why did It take the guards so long to come to this young mans aid. I feel that this was a major security mistake. There needs to be better kept tabs on what prisoners have access to and the consequences that may come with certain items. I also feel that most of this could have been avoided if more correctional officers were paying attention and being more ready to prevent things like this happening. Ultimately I feel that a few officers will be losing their jobs as well as a big lawsuit. -AUT345
ReplyDeleteAs I was watching the video and reading the article, I was thinking the same thing about how the cell phone got in there. While something small like a prepaid flip phone may be easier to smuggle in, a smartphone with access to a wireless network and a camera would be much bigger. I feel as if the officers were a tad lazy on their search. I do not have kids of my own but I can only imagine the pain a parent must feel seeing their kid getting abused, despite already paying the price for his crimes. Personally, if I were the officers, I would look into a device that could sense wireless signals inside the cell areas to help prevent this from happening. -Craft345
DeleteI think it is very shocking that is this happened. I know that abuse can happen but I feel this time it was way out of proportion. I would never want this to happen to my child. I think that the prison should have dealt with their security a little bit better because this abuse was not handled correctly. I understand that what he did was wrong but no matter what no one deserves that much of abuse due to a crime they commit.
ReplyDeleteJoJo345
This article was a fine example of how the prisons are not being ran correctly. Our prisons across the states are overcrowded and this problem needs to be fixed. The abuse that this man went through was not okay and should never happen again. I think the security needs to be addressed because of how dramatic this case was. This just shows that having the prisons overcrowded does not give a balanced amount of correctional officers to handle all the inmates. This problem could be fixed if the system handled how each inmate was convicted and maybe figured out a better way to sentence certain crimes.
ReplyDeleteJoJo678
So true. I am hoping that prisons learn from the mistakes made here, and step-up their game to increase the welfare of inmates, because this is just disgraceful.
Delete-JrMac678
You bring up a good point with overcrowding. I think the other issue is being understaffed. The guards should have been more aware of this but with how many prisoners there are to inmates I can see where it can be difficult. But bottom line is that the guy didn't need that. That isn't why we send people to prison. Cowboy678
DeleteI do agree with the overcrowding, but the solutions that we seem to be after are almost a one-size-fits-all deal. This is not a one size fits all problems, things that work in one state will not work in another. Rural areas pose a unique challenge just like the inner city does. The correctional officers being understaffed is not a new problem, just one that is slowly being brought to light in the fact that there are more prison reforms now and its being brought to the public's attention.
DeleteMedic678
After seeing this video and picture, I would really hope those responsible had some sort of punishment for their actions. It's just like what we've talked about when family members see/hear what happened to loved ones while locked up and they want to get revenge for the pain/death of their loved one. I'm not sure how it started but having more than one on one fighting isnt going to be fair and it's not right. Those men that jumped the one man wouldn't know what to do if the circumstances were the other way around. The problem is that they dont think that way when they feel disrespected. Even just voicing your opinion would have been much better. This goes into many movies that were created about gangs and even the different races. If they were to work together they would see that they are the same. Now whenever these men get released, they already have people looking for them for what they did while locked up. Who knows when they will be put right back in for doing the same thing. Obviously their family on the outside now has to worry about going places since the man beaten has family that's looking to get even. So both sides of these events are in dangerous situations. It is really hard to believe the guards didnt check on them between 3 and 9? Makes you wonder where they were that entire time or if they knew and turned their backs. I mean at least trying to get there would be better than not knowing or trying to stop it. Lou007
ReplyDeleteI read this article and think of what it means for my country. My people. We don't have many centralizing figures; no king, no national religion, no central cause, no one government party running everything, or even a group that a majority of people rally around. Most other countries have one of those things. We don't, really. Except for maybe one: industry.
ReplyDeleteOne thing this country gets extremely concerned about (but never does anything truly meaningful for) is terrorism. We now sigh but take it as our shoes are forced off in airports because of one man, our naked bodies scanned by strangers (though this is on its way out) because of another, with little to no thought of how or why those two people got to the place they did. How does any person get over the hump of feeling bad when they kill or hurt someone?
In this country, my country, these two factors are linked by a common thread: we the people are ready to believe any leader who has the answers. Yes, the men who committed this crime are trash and should be locked up. I approve of that. The men in charge of the system that implemented this crime (correctional officers only go so high, and even the warden serves somebody), like the named Newt Gingrich and others, readily took up the chant of "Toss em in and forget em!" in the 1990s. This country, my country, elected men like that because this country so easily rallies around the thought that some people are bad and some are good, as if morality ever worked in black-and-white. When we finally get the news reports that hey, maybe locking up non-violent criminals with extremely violent ones with little to no funding for supervision is a *bad* idea, we are shocked and wonder what to do. Well, obviously we should've avoided getting here in the first place. But what to do now?
The answer to that is simple: increase your taxes and increase the correctional officer hiring. And yet, here comes the second point coming into play. We are a reactionary society, with a very short attention span. Even my own self, knowing all I've written, would still pause at the increase of my taxes to prevent something like this. After all, in the end, how does it help me? Obviously more security would help to prevent acts like this. It's just not sexy enough to keep this country, my country, looking its way. We'll look at this, just like we looked at Abu Gharib, and go on with our day.
Look around you as you walk about today, though. Look at all the people laughing around you, and know that statistically, at least a few of them will end up in prison. Possibly like the person being disgraced in this picture. It doesn't have to be your son. It could be your friend, or some relative. If we don't want this happening again, we're going to need to stop being reactive and be proactive. Don't listen to a politician who is "tough on crime." The feverish eagerness with which Gingrich and his Congress put people in prison led to this situation, and they were only backed up by the American people themselves.
We elected those people, knowing they would cause this. Or, if we didn't know, we chose not to. We didn't think out the effects. Here they are. Only three men are pictured, but all of us share the disgrace. The next time you get feverishly caught up in any cause (which is not inherently a bad thing), make sure you stop to check yourself. If you were on the other side of your words, how would you feel? Is what you're doing actually effective? Because if it isn't, people will remember that these people, my people, at this time, had the exact same problems as our parents.
I wish, for once, that we would stop championing the strong and listen to the pleas of the weak.
LittleJimmyBond007
We can complain and point fingers all we want but the bottom line is that these kinds of things have always happened, currently happen on a daily basis, and will continue to happen because no one can control the decisions another chooses to make. People know what goes on in prisons yet they choose to commit crimes which put themselves in a position where they may end up there. On top of that if you join a gang or get into an altercation with a gang member you are also making a choice that you well know may put you at an unnecessary risk of violence. When the guards stand right there to constantly monitor prisoners 24/7, the prisoners become more violent and agitated because they feel they have no privacy. So then the correctional system is forced to give them so much privacy because of all the liberal "activists" who demand the prisoners are given so many amenities. Then when that privacy is given, the prisoners do things like what we saw in the video. Correctional officers can only do so much with their limited authority and because of that there will always be things like this to happen. Murphy's law states anything that can go wrong will go wrong; if people have the opportunity to commit violent acts, some of them undoubtedly will. The only real solution is to avoid prison altogether by not committing felonies. Dynasty007
ReplyDeleteI have to agree.....if the right choices were made from the beginning, there would be no chance of this kind of thing happening to you in the first place. It does not matter how many guards there are, how many times they do their checks, or how often these inmates are monitored, this type of thing will always happen. Inmates have a lot of times on their hands and eventually they find the loop holes and know how to work the system, just like they do outside of prison. They know what guards they can get around and what guards they can't. I'm sure this incident happened during one of those more 'lazy' guard's shift. It is sad, however, that we take these sort of people off of the streets to protect everyone else, and then they end up the victim because of this type of violence on the inside. No matter where you go, there you are. blonndie007
DeleteI understand that people do things to put themselves into jail, but the fact is that these are kids, not adults. Some kids don’t know any better or grew up in a place where all they have seen is crime. Just because a kid did something wrong should not mean their punishment should be getting beat up on top of having to be in jail already. You have a very good point though.
Deleteflxr007
I find it crazy that the guards had no idea that ten prisoners who they were supposed to be supervising were able to attack another prisoner, put a leash on him, take a picture, and post it on facebook. On top of that I don't see how the people who beat the boy even got a cell phone into the prison in the first place. The guards should have been able to find that easily. It really shows how badly that prison is being run. If one story like that saw the light of day, just think about how many haven't. There could be hundreds of incidents like that going on today and we would have no idea.
ReplyDeleteDonRagu007
I completely agree with you. There is no reason for that this should have happened. With that being said, besides beatings, sexual assault and abuse is occurring, and to me this is just as bad. It seems like the guards are not doing their job. I would be scared to go to prison just for the simple fact that I would not want to get raped or beaten. nurse007
Deletethis is a clearly flawed system, and we no they realize it. it is both. I no they try to control there issues in the way of there state. Heres the thing though, with certain people, there is just no changing. It will be a constant struggle from here on out to attempt to fix things that have been piling up for way to many years with a criminal justice system that is way to overworked and underfunded.
ReplyDeleteWow. This amazes me as to how all of this occurred, from the beating of the fellow inmate to the use of a cell phone to capture the image. The point that stuck out to me as powerful in this article was the question of “is prison really deterring men?” because (obviously) according to the picture, it isn’t. And unfortunately, there are those social groups of deviants who believe that ‘life behind bars’ is the only life they ever plan of having, so they sort of own it, or to say in better, make the best of it. It is sickening to think that there are people in this society who get joy from degrading other people. It’s even worse when they’re glorifying themselves STILL degrading others, but behind bars.
ReplyDelete-JrMac678
No matter what the crime the inmate has done, no one deserves a beating like that. We send people to prison because we want to rehabilitate them. We don't send them there to get punished by someone who is more ruthless then them. Ultimately I believe this falls a lot on the guards. They were not on top of there game. They let an inmate get savagely beaten and not to mention they even didn't notice that a cell phone got snuck in during the process. Cowboy678
ReplyDeleteThis article points out many interesting arguments. However, this article is extremely biased in the fact that it only shows the views from the parents and families of the victim. While the intention of some prisons is to rehabilitate offenders and prevent recidivism, it often times turns into housing them and protecting the community from them. With budget cuts, there is no possible way for there to be more staffing. In an ideal world, more staff would be wonderful. Logistically and financially it is a nightmare! The photo in question appears to be in a bathroom, where guards are usually not allowed as it is an invasion of privacy. The age old argument still stands, how much privacy are we willing to give up in order to remain safe? Prisoners fight every day for more privacy and it is shown in lawsuits across the nation of inmates suing the jails and prisons due to the fact that they feel their right to privacy has been violated. There are even more of them stating that the jails and prisons did not do enough to protect them, it is an argument that goes in circles for ages and ages and is only getting worse in the era of technology.
ReplyDeleteCameras and body scanners would be nice as well. Although the costs to have these are substantial, they could reduce the risks of full body and hands on searches. They use them in civilian airports, why couldn't we use them in prison? This would have prevented the smuggling of the phone into the prison in the first place. This has caused some negative feedback from the public, but has ultimately been accepted as a safe practice.
Medic678
This incident was very heartbreaking, I think. I know that we take the bad guys off of the streets for a reason, but this inmate, as well as every inmate, does not deserve this type of abuse. I think that because of this incident, this particular facility should 'tighten up' on their rules and regulations. They should be doing checks of the inmates more often and just be monitoring them all more closely. Yes, it is very hard in a large facility to monitor every single inmate at every moment of the day, but when you have things like this going on, it should be a top priority. On the other hand, I do feel that no matter what things are done to improve the environment from this type of thing happening again, it is still going to happen. I think that because the inmates have more than enough time on their hands, they will look for things to make that time go by. I'm sure they know what guards they can get past and which ones they can't. It is sad though, that this young man (yes, young man, because that is what he is) had to endure this type of abuse while in the system. blonndie78
ReplyDeleteYes this is a very sad event to happen in a prison but we only are getting one side of the story to judge which in my eyes does make it hard to really judge this because you really don't know what the kid did or didn't do to get beat up the bigger problem that i do know is that their security must not be very good for someone to get a phone in their to me thats where they need to start on fixing their issue at this point. Demoderby007
DeleteI think it is terrible that this happened to this kid, especially in a place where all activity is supposed to be monitored 24/7. It is sad that the picture was found on the internet for others to see. Knowing that a phone was brought into the jail makes me wonder how strict and secure the jail is and how thorough security is. I also wonder why the two boys beat up this kid, and if it is associated with their gang affiliation. Especially since these are kids, monitoring the jail is very important and I don’t feel as if the CO’s were keeping as close of a watch as they should’ve been. I bet after seeing this, parents are afraid of what could happen to their child if sent to jail. The law enforces that jails are to be made as safe as possible which includes checking on inmates and making sure everything is going how it should. The fact that it took an hour for the guard to notice this happening is not okay and changes should be made to ensure nothing like this happens in the future.
ReplyDeleteflxr007
It is horrible that it happen to the kid but we can't really know that the kid did nothing to start it or he might have done nothing at all just not been down with there gang. the most embarrassing part to me is the security and guards in this they either must not have any real leadership or a leadership that don't care as long as they don't have any major issues. You can't tell me that they really care if they don't care to do checks more often then that. To me it seems like the guards their see the job as just that a job to collect a pay check to pay bill if that is the case then they need to find a new job that they really care about because they can't care if they don't take the time to do rounds more often then once an hour if they even do that. The prison needs to work on their security system because they seems like they don't have one if someone got a phone in. I know When i went to visit the Pontiac prison as a visitor we were ran threw metal detectors and had a pat down just to take a tour of the joint and we didn't go anywhere near where any inmates where at the time. Demoderby007
ReplyDeleteAfter the jail visit, we heard first hand that some guards are lazy, and it is clearly being excepted. Well in my opinion this is unacceptable. The distressing picture really has affected me. It seems that gangs have developed to protect themselves when going to jail or prison because they know when joining a gang, that is where they most likely will end up. In getting away with this abuse, it seems that the two men were smoothly coordinated in their acts. They probably worked around cell searches, and other around the clock measures. It is their home, because that is where they are living, but it does not give them a right to torture others who are not in the same gang. The individual beaten has the right to potentially sue the institution for the acts committed against him. I feel very sorry for the boys family and she has the right to understand why this happened as well. nurse007
ReplyDeleteI agree with the first statement completely! If the person in charge knows that their workers are lazy, then why keep them around? Our work force (my generation anyways), I feel has NO or very little work ethic! I cannot stand people who do the very minimum or even less than that. I'm in charge of a department at work and I make sure stuff gets done. You can't have lazy people working with you. It makes everything go down. If you are union and can't just fire them for the reason that they are lazy, then you (as the boss of that prison), needs to get your hands dirty and go work with them; you can't stay in an office all day if you want things to be running smoothly! army27D-012
DeleteI wasn't to sure what was happening when we talked about it in class. After I read the article though, I first questioned what the Abu Ghraib pictures were. I continued reading and I thought that what happened to the 18 year old was horrible and that there should have been no way that half those stories could have been overlooked by guards, especially the one where it lasted two days. The guards should have been more aware of what was going on in the cells. The spike in contraband seems to be going up. Criminals keep coming up with better ways to sneak that stuff in or the guards just aren't looking to well. Another point that I questioned was the fact of crime vs. law. I believe that depending on the offense and offenders, that they should be separated depending on what they did. I do realize though that you can only do so much with what you have. After reading the article, I looked up those pictures and was stunned! It was horrifying to see those pictures. Although the Georgia one wasn't as bad to look at, they are both inhumane. I think that the abuse in prisons is awful and could be helped a little bit more with the guards. I also realize that some prisons are huge and you only have so much help, but two days! army27D-012
ReplyDeleteWhen an individual is incarcerated they are serving time for a crime they committed. When you are sent to jail or to prison you will no longer be considered free to be able to walk the streets, or go to the movie theatre anytime you wish to go. When someone is locked up for a crime they committed being locked up is their punishment. The guards that are employed for that facility need to ensure they are watching over inmates to make sure that no rough play or violent torture is happening while someone is incarcerated. While watching this and reading the article it really proves to be an eye opener for everyone to see that this kind of stuff does happen. Guards need to also take pride in their position with the facility and make positive changes to help keep not only your fellow employee’s but the inmates safe too. Publicity from the media can tear an organization apart. Having guards that are keeping a close eye as to what the inmates are doing will help keep them safe and not have additional law suits that will down the road be pending against them because they’re not keeping everyone safe. General-012
ReplyDeleteWhat is sad is the fact that there are many judicial systems across the country that have the same issues. Prison is where an individual goes who is charged with or convicted of crimes that provides confinement until brought to trial or completion of incarceration that was sentenced. Its also supposed to be a place of monitoring and safety for the inmates that are there. The guards may be getting more lazy as they began to progress in their career, but if there is access to things on the outside that are coming in, it is possible that this could happen to them. The kid didn't deserve to have this happen to him. The officers could have done more things to prevent this from happening or reached the kid at an earlier time. The family has rights to know what, how, and why this happened. There is no surprise that when something so serious occurs, there will be a lawsuit filed.
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