tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7893272060787897238.post5233805242937923473..comments2024-03-19T08:42:45.690-04:00Comments on The Delaware Libertarian: The false equivalence of Sussex Correctional and GitmoSteven H. Newtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09097470960863103473noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7893272060787897238.post-77607041908950644152009-09-07T05:22:43.006-04:002009-09-07T05:22:43.006-04:00Our son was arrested around 2 years ago at Rehobet...Our son was arrested around 2 years ago at Rehobeth Beach for drunken disorderly. He was there for senior week. Though we don't condone his behavior we also believe that it is an inhumane policy to take intoxicated persons to SCI(Rehobeth has no holding cell). Our son was taken there around 2am-he was beaten, knocked unconscious, attakced by a canine dog who barked at him the entire time they tried to process him. He received unexplained injuries-and was pepper sprayed which was not washed off of him for days as he stayed in solitary confinement. I, too have watched politicians (and I like Joe Biden very much)express outrage over treatment of foreign prisoners and can't help but think "how can they let this go on in the United States of America". The reports from the Rehobeth officers as to what happened when they took our son to SCI is quite different than what the guards reported. Yes, out son was intoxicated and mouthy but he was only wearing swim shorts-no shoes, no weapon, etc. It's my belief that the behavior of the guards was much worse than anything our son did-and they weren't intoxicated. This injustice has been a bitter pill for us to swallow.Our son is not the same. We pray that things will change there. No one should be treated in such a violent and inhumane way, especially by professional people.I'm too afraid to mention everything that happened there.It's a system that protects one another.Sharon Nelsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02323489790136988606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7893272060787897238.post-44655291836782698862009-08-30T02:57:26.130-04:002009-08-30T02:57:26.130-04:00If he got elected Suzanne, then he could keep them...If he got elected Suzanne, then he could keep them. You seem to miss that point. He is right. You either need to increase staffing (Mike's solution) or decrease the population (Steve's solution).<br /><br />I would like to point out that the CRI report did not politicize the issue. How people react to it is beyond their control.<br /><br />Truthfully, I see nothing wrong with pointing out the real world meaning of this. If you want to call that politicization so be it.Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14763905164821434222noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7893272060787897238.post-77046301384481829162009-08-28T09:53:11.304-04:002009-08-28T09:53:11.304-04:00"...looking in vain for the Delaware legislat..."...looking in vain for the Delaware legislator of either major party who stood up and made prison reform, corrections staffing, or the prison budget a major issue, either in a campaign or a legislative session. "<br /><br />I am surprised that Perennial Protack hasn't replied to this one - he always smooches up to the CO Union when he runs for office and makes them promises that he can't keep (in regards to staffing and such).Suzannehttp://www.redwaterlily.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7893272060787897238.post-68955495913168661492009-08-28T00:41:15.561-04:002009-08-28T00:41:15.561-04:00"1)How do we reduce our prison population?&qu...<i>"1)How do we reduce our prison population?"</i><br /><br />HB 168, introduced during the first session of this General Assembly would go a long way toward doing this by eliminating mandatory minimum drug sentences. <br /><br />It has enough sponsors in the Senate and nearly enough in the House to guarantee passage. A similar bill passed in the House nearly unanimously two years ago, but died in the Senate. However, the primary impediment to its passage in the Senate, Thurman Adams, is no longer an issue, and with some effort we can make this happen next year.tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06653459162258850269noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7893272060787897238.post-5662499267790178342009-08-28T00:05:23.324-04:002009-08-28T00:05:23.324-04:00"you can find multiple complaints of abuses g...<i>"you can find multiple complaints of abuses going back to 2000-2002;"</i><br /><br />There are complaints of abuse & neglect in Delaware's prisons long before 2000, but you probably have to search offline media to find them.<br /><br />In the 90's, there were multiple cases of food poisoning affecting hundreds of prisoners at Smyrna.<br /><br />Overcrowding at Gander Hill was so bad they were putting 3-4 prisoners in cells designed for 1 and forcing some of them to sleep on the floor because there was only room for two bunks. <br /><br />I also remember seeing a complaint that a cellblock somewhere flooded with sewage, which froze and could not be cleaned up for over a month because it was winter and the heat in the building was broken, but I do not remember tho specific details.<br /><br />All of these incidents, and more were reported by the WNJ.tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06653459162258850269noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7893272060787897238.post-15657523693865824072009-08-27T23:41:44.883-04:002009-08-27T23:41:44.883-04:00In point 4, you probably meant to say "Gitmo&...In point 4, you probably meant to say "Gitmo" instead of "CRI" in the 1st sentence.tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06653459162258850269noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7893272060787897238.post-7424089002239770182009-08-27T23:36:46.399-04:002009-08-27T23:36:46.399-04:00Good post overall, though I must take issue with b...Good post overall, though I must take issue with both "Cato's" concept of rights, and your treatment thereof (although I realize you probably agree w/ me but are merely citing the Bush/Obama party line).<br /><br />According to the theory of rights that has prevailed in America for the past 250 years or so, governments grant <i>privileges</i>, <i>rights</i> are inherent. Once again for the slower readers, <b>rights can not be <i>given</i> to you</b> by any constitution, government, president, or anyone else* -- they are intrinsic and unalienable to all humans (or other sentient beings) whether or not they are U.S. citizens. It does not matter if they are accused or convicted criminals, they still have rights. Nor does it matter if they are unwilling (or even willing) subjects of a repressive government that does not acknowledge or respect human rights, they still have rights, and <i>our Constitution</i> says the U.S government must not violate them. <br /><br /><i>"Inmates at Gitmo (or Bagram, for that matter) have been accorded no legal personhood status whatever by the United States: they are not prisoners of war and therefore protected by the Geneva Convention; they are not [...] considered even as "persons" in the meaning of the 14th Amendment."</i><br /><br />All officers of our government, at any level, are required to swear an Oath to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the U.S. And, as you should well know Steve, the 14th is completely irrelevant in the case of Gitmo/Bagram/etc. as it is only binding on the several States, and only applies to U.S. citizens; and it probably doesn't mean much in the case of SCI either since it only guarantees privileges and immunities**, not rights.<br /><br />However, the 5th though 8th Amendments, which cover rights of the accused and prisoners are written in such a way that no reasonable person could <i>unintentionally</i> misinterpret them as applying only to U.S. citizens, and the form of the Oath makes no distinction as to whether or not the sworn officer is on U.S. soil. While the Constitution makes no explicit mention of POWs, the Geneva Convention and several other treaties we have ratified do, and Article VI makes it clear that they are considered part of the Constitution. And as such, any officer of the United States who participated torture or mistreatment of the "detainees" is guilty of at least perjury, if not treason. And even if the CO's at SCI are not sworn officers of the State of Delaware, someone in their chain of command certainly is, and those persons are guilty of crimes for looking the other way when abuse or neglect occurs.<br /><br />*other than God, if you believe in that sort of thing.<br /><br />**"immunities" is not specifically defined anywhere that I am aware of, but if the authors of the 14th meant rights, they would have written "privileges or rights" instead.tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06653459162258850269noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7893272060787897238.post-41460574753999713382009-08-27T17:29:27.288-04:002009-08-27T17:29:27.288-04:00The comparison between SCI and Gitmo is so ridicul...The comparison between SCI and Gitmo is so ridiculous on its face that it was a kindness on your part to treat it so extensively and seriously.Delaware Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13619357338844485803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7893272060787897238.post-39726991897562284262009-08-27T14:01:04.664-04:002009-08-27T14:01:04.664-04:00"A great deal is being made about whether CRI..."A great deal is being made about whether CRI should have reported that one of the victims of medical neglect and abusive treatment at SCI was a convicted child rapist."<br /><br />I believe the report says that the person in question was declared mentally incompetent to stand trial in three court hearings, therefore he was not convicted of rape.Davenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7893272060787897238.post-70238841162485699992009-08-27T14:00:29.634-04:002009-08-27T14:00:29.634-04:00One more thing, as for the "immediate politic...One more thing, as for the "immediate politicization of this issue" I don't get it, Steve.<br /><br />If this report came out of the News Journal, or Common Cause, or the ACLU, it would get "immediately politicized" why would there be a difference since it came out of CRI? <br /><br />And isn't Bruce Ennis, a democrat, the one who wants to hold hearings over this report?Maria Evanshttp://delawarepolitics.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7893272060787897238.post-22066443377081901862009-08-27T13:14:05.146-04:002009-08-27T13:14:05.146-04:00Noted--and correctedNoted--and correctedSteven H. Newtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09097470960863103473noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7893272060787897238.post-61405723003289884072009-08-27T12:27:54.655-04:002009-08-27T12:27:54.655-04:00Not everyone at SCI has been "convicted"...Not everyone at SCI has been "convicted" some can't make bail.Maria Evanshttp://delawarepolitics.netnoreply@blogger.com