Justice Department Releases Findings of Unconstittuional Conditions at Miami-Dade Jail Facilities

Justice Department Releases Findings of Unconstittuional Conditions at Miami-Dade Jail Facilities

www.justice.gov

WASHINGTON – Following a comprehensive investigation, the Justice Department has announced its findings that the Miami-Dade County Corrections and Rehabilitation Department (MDCR) has engaged in a pattern or practice of constitutional violations in the jail facilities operated by MDCR.

MDCR operates the nation’s eighth largest jail system and holds an average of 7,000 prisoners.

The investigation, initiated on April 2, 2008, was conducted in accordance with the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA).

(visit the link for the full news article)

Well, this isn't exactly the kind of story you see every day, is it?

That "Unconstitutional conditions" would be investigated is odd.

That it happens to be in a prison system is another odd duck.

I'm not saying that I doubt Constitutional Rights are violated.

They are violated every single day by everyone within the U.S.

www.justice.gov
(visit the link for the full news article)

Similar circumstances happened here in Detroit

www.justice.gov...

The resulting changes have cost the city millions and millions of dollars to implement, the most expensive part being the violation under conditions of confinement (jail). Fast forward to present and The Detroit Police Dept. still is not in complete compliance with the DOJ because of the jail issue. Every cell block area in the city had to be painted a specific color of gray (mandated by the DOJ), every cellblock had to install extra lighting so that there is a specific brightness (or lumens), every cellblock had to be retrofitted with sprinkler systems (the prisoners promptly made a game out of kicking the sprinkler heads off and flooding the cells), the temperature has to be no higher than 82 degrees or the prisoners have to be moved out, I could go on and on but if the Miami jail enters a consent decree with the DOJ these are just a few of the things they can look forward to.
Oh and I almost forgot all incoming prisoners have to be asked a litany of medical and mental health questions and if they have any medical problem have to be immediately taken to the hospital to be seen by a doctor and receive medication.

Not good at all.
Though I'm wondering about the medical part.
Corrections has a ward at Jackson just for prisoners.

Makes you wonder how good prisons in california are.

i knew prison was bad.

i considered it inhuman before, but after reading the article

no words...

“Our findings show that due to the unconstitutional operation of the MDCR jail facilities, prisoners have suffered grievous harm, including death. The systemic failures of the jail facilities have resulted in prisoners living in inhumane and shocking conditions,”

brutally honest report everyone should read

makes you wonder about all the other prisons and their inmates

ETA

S&F accordingly

reply to post by ANOMALY502


Well, the entire Federal Prison system is deplorable, always has been.

From the top to the bottom.

There is a fine line between being in prison and living in Club Med.

I'm not saying that any Constitutional rights should be violated anywhere.

But cable television is not a Constitutionally protected right.

And the prison guards should be searched, daily, before coming and going on shift.

Cut off the black market where drugs and other assorted element filter in for trade.

I am just curious as to when the Justice department is going to look into the conditions of airport security?
That would be a higher priority IMO. Is this the start to legalizing pot? How many people are in jail for drugs?

reply to post by SpartanKingLeonidas


I was just giving an example from my experience as an LEO. Im speaking of merely the city jails in Detroit, they were far from perfect and needed reform but the level of micro management by the DOJ monitors is in some cases silly.

Originally posted by ANOMALY502
reply to post by SpartanKingLeonidas

 

I was just giving an example from my experience as an LEO. Im speaking of merely the city jails in Detroit, they were far from perfect and needed reform but the level of micro management by the DOJ monitors is in some cases silly.

Agreed.

I was only referencing the quite stupidity of the prison system itself.

Giving prisoners creature comforts is ridiculous.

It needs to be somewhere between our current prison climate and Joe Arpaio's system.

More busting rocks, less sitting on butts, playing Playstation for prisoners I say.

Originally posted by grey580
Not good at all.
Though I'm wondering about the medical part.
Corrections has a ward at Jackson just for prisoners.

Makes you wonder how good prisons in california are.

They should isolate them like a whole city like the military does with bases.

Having been a Security Officer we got prisoners all the time coming into the hospital.

This is not something comforting to regular patients I can assure you.

Never heard a complaint because it was done discreetly.

But you would be surprised at how many prisoners with Sheriff's as escorts are there.

reply to post by SpartanKingLeonidas


Detroit receiving hospital has a whole module for just prisoners in order to keep them seperated from the regular patients., and yes there is a fine line between jail, and free cheap motel with free medical, and free food.

The Miami-Dade jail is one of more violent jails in the U.S.. Prisoners dying has nothing to do with the Jail violating people's constitutional rights.... it has to do with other Prisoners who are violating your rights and kicking your butt.

Besides... we are talking about jail. I do not care what jail you go to, your rights are being violated to some degree. There is no "freedom" in jail. That is the whole point of putting people in jail!

My personal opinion is this jail should be more concerned with people's safety and not so much with "Constitutional Rights". and the problem with this jail is really the way it is set up. You can not pack 30 people into one small area and expect everyone to get along. Below are 2 documentaries on this specific Facility.

Originally posted by ANOMALY502
reply to post by SpartanKingLeonidas

 

Detroit receiving hospital has a whole module for just prisoners in order to keep them seperated from the regular patients., and yes there is a fine line between jail, and free cheap motel with free medical, and free food.

Locally here I was surprised to see them in our hospital.

Of course they had a system to keep them isolated.

Only had one escape and that was due to a rookie Police Officer.

He was in custody and not a prisoner from jail as he had just been arrested.

Dealing with various LEO's on the property was quite boring.

I seemed to be one of the only Security Officer's interested in helping them.

Originally posted by mugger
I am just curious as to when the Justice department is going to look into the conditions of airport security?
That would be a higher priority IMO. Is this the start to legalizing pot? How many people are in jail for drugs?

edit on 8/29/2011 by mugger because: (no reason given)

Agreed.

Or a similar investigation into behaviour of LEO's on the streets.

I would be interested in those results...

On a side note:
They should legalize the whole shebeng.

The Miami-Dade jail is one of more violent jails in the U.S.. Prisoners dying has nothing to do with the Jail violating people's constitutional rights.... it has to do with other Prisoners who are violating your rights and kicking your butt.

reply to post by MrWendal


Ehm yes it does.

When medicare is not up to standards, when addicts kicking their habbit don't get the right care and therefor die of incompetence, rights are beinf violated.
Inmate or no inmate.

They're still human you know.

Besides... we are talking about jail. I do not care what jail you go to, your rights are being violated to some degree. There is no "freedom" in jail. That is the whole point of putting people in jail!

Just wondering if you'd feel the same if it was your family in those prisons, or any other prison for that matter??

reply to post by kn0wh0w


I will say it was interesting.

I'll still take it with a grain of salt.

Like everything else I've ever done that with.

reply to post by kn0wh0w


We are not talking about "prisons". Prisons are State run, Miami-Dade Corrections is County run. It is a jail. There is a huge difference between "jail" and "prison". Most people in "jail" are only in there for a short amount of time before they are released or transferred to a more suitable facility.

When medicare is not up to standards, when addicts kicking their habbit don't get the right care and therefor die of incompetence, rights are beinf violated. Inmate or no inmate. They're still human you know.

This is a very slippery slope. If you have an inmate who is going to be held in custody for a couple days, why should the State foot the bill for his medical care because the inmate is suffering from withdraws? Do you have any idea how many inmates come into jail with medical conditions? Do you want to foot the bill for each one of them? Doing so sets up a situation where you will literally have people getting arrested on purpose on minor offenses, just so they can get medical treatment that they can not afford to get themselves.

Just wondering if you'd feel the same if it was your family in those prisons, or any other prison for that matter??

Jail and Prison are two different things and as a person who has been to more than my fair share of "jails" (in my younger days) for as long as a 6 month stay, and has also had medical treatment denied to me because my issue was not life threatening, this is exactly how I feel. You bleeding hearts have no idea what goes through the mind of an inmate. When I was denied medical care, I was able to see a doctor, but they did nothing for me. Ready for the best part? It was for a condition I had for 2 years before going to jail, I just did nothing about it. It was not a real issue for me when I was in jail, the only reason I asked to see a doctor was so I could get out of my cell for a couple hours.

Originally posted by mugger
I am just curious as to when the Justice department is going to look into the conditions of airport security?
That would be a higher priority IMO. Is this the start to legalizing pot? How many people are in jail for drugs?

edit on 8/29/2011 by mugger because: (no reason given)

Are you perhaps referencing the pat-downs verses real security?

The T.S.A. is a brand new agency, in it's infancy, less than 50 years old.

They might get oversight or forced to change but I doubt they will be looked into.

I've never had a problem with people dealing drugs doing time in prison.

Instead the duplicitous nature of foreign and domestic policy when it comes to drugs.

That's what I have a problem with but not enough of one to give a damn about drug dealers.

reply to post by MrWendal


I'm sure it's a mixture of elements which cause this stupidity.

It is not just one thing or another it never is like that.

It is instead a lack of knowledge, which put the majority of those people there, in the first place, a lack of respect for themselves, which lead to the ultimate idiocy, as well as a lack of respect for the rest of society, which created the problems from the very beginning. Add to that the fact that we have people locked away for their crimes, paying other people to administrate that, guard it, feed it, and bureaucratize it. And as well add to it that no one is really ever rehabilitated there, only made into smarter criminals, in the sense of knowing how to commit more and worse crimes, not in the sense of actual intelligence.

From the top down the entire Federal and State prison system needs to be flushed out.

And changed totally.

Like an enema cleansing the bowels of society.

Come on, why are some of you crying about the mistreatment of people who have maimed, killed, stole, hurt, etc. society. Why should people who are in prison be entitled to better living conditions than the "working poor"? If you break the rules of society, you have to pay the price (that includes members of our government). Granted, there are certain humane protocols we should follow, but otherwise, make the inmates' prison confinement uncomfortable. These people are in prison because of choices that they made. They should own their decisions. They either learn from their choices or we continue to have the burden of a broken society.