I hate to come off as overly negative, but while Americans individually can seem like very nice people, that's not really our culture. Especially when it comes to prison -- very few people give much thought to rehabilitation. Prison is meant to be punishment, period. Anything that makes it more humane is perceived as making it like a vacation or something. This is why we don't put a stop to things like rape in prison, because we have completely dehumanized prisoners. We treat our pets better.
Which is why the inhumane treatment of prisoners by people like former Sheriff Joe Arpaio in AZ was not only tolerated but often condoned by the public. It's why he was re-elected, for being perceived as tough on crime.
While they might not admit it, some people want to know that these criminals are being mistreated. They like the idea, somewhere deep down, of a criminal being forced to wear pink underwear and being fed spoiled food. It's twisted, wrong even. But it's very much American. Like apple pie, or baseball.
It is a very important point to remember that Arpaio was in charge of the county jail. That means many/most of the people being fed rotten baloney sandwichs were awaiting trial. They hadn't even been convicted.
And there are people who have been in jail, awaiting trial for years, I think infamously there's one case in Riker's Island that waited 12 years to go to trial. Jails are every thing that is bad about prison made worse by constant flux, no one has to accept that these are the people they will have to spend years with.
> Which is why the inhumane treatment of prisoners by people like former Sheriff Joe Arpaio in AZ was not only tolerated but often condoned by the public.
Another good result from the election: many states are legalising marihuana in some form, that's more money income from taxes and less spent on prisons.
It's still a long way from an evidence based drug (law enforcement) policy, but it's definitely a step in the right direction.
alas, in many states law enforcement and other groups are finding ways to continue profiting from marijuana prohibition - legalization is regulation, and they make punishments stricter for some 'crimes' while legalizing other things. For instance, plant count. Some proposed laws do things like legalize growing 6 plants... while 7 remains a felony, and all while not defining a plant. Or in Colorado, while growing a few plants became legal, processing them into hash with solvents became a 2nd degree felony.
In my own experience, police in Oregon and Colorado have started enforcing DUI and public consumption for marijuana rather than possession - and those charges carry higher punishmebts than minor possession used to carry. My neighbor was raided by a swat team last year, fully armed, with emergency support, for alllegedly being over plant count (a municipal court type violation...).
So, things are moving sideways. The people addicted to making perverse profits are predictably not keen to let go.
