Los Angeles, CA. Arizona's Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and L. A. County Sheriff Leroy Baca take each other to task over how they must deal with operating their respective jail systems in a seven minute Full Disclosure Network® video news blog. The video is available FREE, 24/7, on demand at the as a public service and viewers are encouraged to leave their comments and join the discussion.
Sheriff Joe Arpaio is often referred to as "the Toughest Sheriff in America" because he houses jail inmates in Korean war tents on the desert in temperatures that reach up to 140 degrees in the summer time. In this video he boasts about spending only 30 cents a day, per inmate, for meals saying he hopes they will never come back to jail once released. He challenges Sheriff Baca's early release program by inviting him to send the overflow of inmates from L. A. to Maricopa County where he proudly displays a vacancy sign and promotes the austere accomodations for the 10,000 plus inmates in his jails.
Sheriff Baca points out that criminals in Los Angeles county jails are tougher and more violent and make Sheriff Joe's jails look like a "summer camp". Baca points out that in L.A. County jails there are 1,200 murderers waiting for trial and 4,000 gang members who commit 500 murders a year. Baca also says that Sheriff Joe's criminals are mild compared to those in L. A., that they have committed lesser offenses and are not the hard core criminals such as in Los Angeles County jails.
This short video news blog demonstrates the striking contrast in policies and attitude in Arizona and California. The Sheriffs offer their own rationalization for circumstances in their jails. At the close of the video news blog viewers are asked to participate in a survey on which policies are best.
Full Disclosure Network's® regular cable and Internet television programs are featured on 43 cable television systems and video streamed on the Internet at the website www.fulldisclosure.net. Channels and airtimes are listed here.
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Full Disclosure® program is billed as
"the news behind the news." In 2002 host Leslie Dutton was presented with a local public affairs Emmy by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for the series entitled "L.A.'s War Against Terrorism". Dutton has been conducting interviews for the past fourteen years with local, state and national law enforcement officials in order to inform the public on critical police policies and procedures.
Comments to date: 37. This is page 1 of 4.
Bill Nicoll Glendale, CA
Posted: 11:20 am [PST] on May 04 2008
The bleeding hearts in our society require that the cons lead a more comfortable life. The only thing a prisoner suffers is loss of freedom. All else is likely equal to or better than they had it on the outside. We should also change the penalty structure for those with infractions such as drug use where the only one harmed by the offender is him/herself.
John Jackson Wildomar, CA
Posted: 08:59 am [PST] on May 04 2008
As a retired LASD Deputy (Sgt) I know the legal system is the cause. Baca is correct, that AZ does not experience the severity of crimes. CA could come to a much better way of dealing with crime in our jail system if it were not for the bleeding heart liberals that run this State...LA is run by the Mexican government.
PJ PHX
Posted: 07:15 am [PST] on May 04 2008
Les,
Sheriff Baca is correct on his point Sheriff Joe gets tough on alleged suspects of minor misdemeanors.
Unpleasant experience in Sheriff Joe's jail, can be measured on a scale ranging from baloney to torture and death, against the alleged suspects unable to afford bail, or bond.
Sheriff Joe has been court ordered by Federal Judges, to clean-up his jails and has in the past, stalled and even ignored the Judiciary...
In several cases involving death and torture by his own guards there has never been serious investigations, indictments, or justice.
Just ask AZ Attorney Michael Manning,who defended the needless death of Phil Wilson, an inmate.
The evidence stacked against Sheriff Joe and his jails, in the Wilson case was never reported by the media.
Standards set by an advisory, accreditatory, commission for prison, and jails indicated Maricopa County Sheriff's Office failed the course.
As far as the liberal attitude and legislation for jails in AZ...let US not forget, it was at Fort Huachucha, AZ a military installation where the idea for Abu Grabib was launched.
Sheriff Baca has made some real points about the world famous Sheriff Joe, and Full Disclosure has served this subject well, in the matter in public interest.
emine002 florida
Posted: 09:39 am [PST] on April 16 2008
I really do think Sheriff from Arizona is committing a huge crime.
cod-e phx az
Posted: 10:53 pm [PST] on February 15 2008
i been locked up in maricopa county jail i even said i didn't wanna go back now i am working their i am on other side of the fence...i am all for sheriff joe thanx
Pat Weber Pennsylvania
Posted: 08:37 pm [PST] on February 15 2008
I live (exist) on Social Security. Criminals in our jails live more comfortably than I. What's wrong with this picture?
Jeanne WV
Posted: 11:39 am [PST] on September 17 2007
Like he said, why should our prisoners have more comforts than our SOLDIERS! As long as the prisoners are treated humanely, I say go for it. All prisons should bring back the Chain-gangs.
J Crider Huntington Beach, CA
Posted: 08:24 pm [PST] on June 14 2007
Baca is a JOKE! and Arpaio is RIGHT! JAIL MUST be UNCOMFORTABLE! PUT ALL of the 5200 CRIMINALS in TENTS in Lancaster/Palmdale! PRISION is NOT a VACATION and BACA is MAKING it one for CRIMINALS and THIS MUST STOP!
ivywalkon exiledinL.A.
Posted: 09:32 am [PST] on June 10 2007
The main objective of the prison system should be to reform those who can be, and punish those whom are unable to be.
The reality is that the lack of a comprehensive criminal justice system in many states, as well as federally, results in a dysfunctional corrections system.
The gangs, which have been fostered in the prison system, have become a breeding ground for street gangs, racism, and corruption. They have begun to permeate the lower socioeconomic levels of our entire "American" social system, and have probably touched others.
When you villify perpetrators of victimless crimes and overburden law enforcement, justice, and corrections systems with the backbone of your society (low income wage earners), you magnify a component of the cycle of poverty, illiteracy, and lawlessness which debilitates the social contract upon which this country has also been established.
Col. Benjamin Miles Whittier, CA
Posted: 12:17 am [PST] on June 10 2007
Baca is nothing more than a panty-waist sleezeball. He could run the jails the way they should be run but he is too afraid of his County Commissioners coming down on him. I would restart the old chain-gaings of the 20's 30's 40's and 50's. When a criminal is released from my custody he or she will know they have paid back their debt to society! As far as lawyers and the ACLU, I would throw the first one to belly ache about a prisoners treatment in jail along side his client and release him when I release his client! ACLU lawyers I would execute on the spot!