[www.propublica.org]

Children as young as 8 traumatized: hauled off to jail in Tennessee, for things like looking at you wrong.

And this entire system is run by unqualified, sadistic women who should be cashiering at Hobby Lobby, not running a court and jail.

WTF and JFC and I haven't even got half way through that.

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mrbigstuff
WTF and JFC and I haven't even got half way through that.

Sorry, I know, it's really upsetting.

I have a nephew in the Tennessee penal system. he is a drug addict who tried to go right, the judiciary did everything it could to help him, the department of corrections on both the county and state level did everything possible to ignore the judges and screw with him. The judge ordered him into rehab treatment - the jail had him talk to another inmate with the same order from a different judge while a jailer took notes. That was the rehab and the notes were used as evidence for further charges against both.

He was in one county jail and when he was ordered released, he was refused release until his jail bill was paid in full - it was more than $5000 for 60-days. Everything was charged from $10 toothbrushes to $25 underwear - nothing was allowed to be brought in, everything had to be purchased from the jail. While his family got the money together, he was further charged for meals and lodging as he was no longer incarcerated but rather detained in out-processing. Then when he was finally cleared for release, he was rearrested by another county based on the notes the jailer took during "rehab." Sent to the next county facility, the whole thing started over - including having to buy all new personal items as the ones from the first jail could not be taken into the second. It took his family two days to find where he was moved too, and his public defender dropped his case because he was in a new jurisdiction.

The Tennessee corrections system is horrendous, the events in the Propublica story that took place do not surprise me in the least.

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“No persons are more frequently wrong, than those who will not admit they are wrong.” -- François de La Rochefoucauld

"Those who cannot accept the past are condemned to revise it." -- Geo. Mathias

Ombligo, I'm sorry for your nephew's experience. I can't believe we treat people like this in the 21st century. Weve got a lot of work to do.

Interesting read. The judge will probably distribute it as campaign material for re-election to her next eight year term.

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Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.

I read this when you first posted it but I had a hard time thinking how I would frame a post in response. It's just so disgusting. I guess that's my response, but it seems so inadequate.

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e pluribus unum

Ditto Ted.