Originally published at: http://boingboing.net/2016/08/01/woman-judge-discovers-that-fem.html
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Totally messed up, yet totally not surprising.
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The judge
- lied
- was lied to
- does not give a fuck about the actual system
None of the explanations are comforting.
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I think the excuse is that such items cut into the profit margin. Not that this is by any means a real excuse.
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Yeah, but actually admitting that out loud to the judge would have sounded bad.
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Yes, I just recently learned about high taxes at these kind of feminine higene products…
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You’re… suggesting the judge had knowledge that this was standard treatment inside the jail?
I watched the video. She seemed genuinely shocked. She also put proceedings on hold to try and get the situation addressed (for what good that may have done).
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only the text Cory posted
good. (insert grumpy cat image here)
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…was describing what the department’s spokesperson said, not the judge in the video.
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I cannot follow you - above I quoted two snippets: The reaction of the judge and an explanation of the spokesperson of the prison.
I see a huge discrepance between the judge’s description of the defaults and the one of the prison; and I stand by my opinion on the few possible reasons (though the first one is out now after you described her reaction in the video)
The woman had been arrested for not completing a diversion course that was part of her sentencing from a shoplifting charge. After this ordeal, Wolf released her with time served and a $100 fine.
…whereupon the defendant left the courthouse and promptly shoplifted a pair of pants.
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The whole event was obviously an eye-opener for that judge, who (perhaps naively, perhaps not) believed that this was not standard operating procedure at the jail. She did not lie, and of course she gave a fuck, which is why she stopped proceedings to investigate. I agree with you, it’s a crap situation, but 2 out of your 3 “guesses” regarding the situation were essentially attacking/blaming the judge herself. That’s what I took issue with.
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okay, I see your criticism and agree with it up to a point - I could (and probably should) have read the linked articles.
but relying on theoretical standards without taking a look at the reality is a common problem and as widespread as disappointing (irrespective of this specific case)
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What bothers me is that the judge still fined the woman $100. I guess that’s the going fine for being guilty of a minor charge but denied basic human rights.
I suggest all officers of the court/law ought to spend some time incognito in one of these offending prisons, in a sufficiently far away jurisdiction that they will be subjected to the normal conditions. And politicians, too. Especially politicians.
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The woman had been arrested for not completing a diversion course that was part of her sentencing from a shoplifting charge. After this ordeal, Wolf released her with time served and a $100 fine.
Smart move on the part of the judge. If she faced additional charges & much heavier penalties after that day it could have opened up the city/county to all kinds of legal suits. The judge should be at least commended for saving the taxpayers alot of money for trying to avoid having more legal drama.
So you’re saying she is wrong because she assumed another part of the justice system was operating humanely?
She probably doesn’t take field trips into the jail itself very often. Sitting on the bench, she knows her sphere of responsibility in running a fair courtroom, and she assumes the jail is doing their job properly as well. Not every single individual can be a proactive whistleblower to every piece of the system. That she did stop to do something when she saw it says a lot about her as a person.
The fault lies with those who run the jail. It’s good that the judge had open eyes and is (hopefully) pushing the issue and trying to get things changed. But to say she’s at fault for “relying on theoretical standards” (i.e. expecting that the jail will follow humane protocols when she’s not there) is ludicrous. The administrators of the jail need to be held accountable.
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There aren’t high taxes of feminine hygiene products. There are normal sales taxes on feminine hygiene products and there’s a move about – a reasonable one, I think – to carve out a sales tax exception for them to put a dent in the cost.
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Can a judge at that level legally just say “to hell” with all protocol and set somebody free with no questions asked? I don’t actually know.
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What profit margin? This was a county run jail. There’s lots awful about private prisons, but was just a government prison being awful.
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Good question. I have no idea.
