Rural sheriffs dealing with new problem: more women in jail

[stevedeshazer]

http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2010/07/rural_sheriffs_dealing_with_new_problem_more_women_in_jail.html


Amber Garcia sits in her cell in the Union County Jail. Garcia, who was waiting to play cards, is part of an increasing number of women in Oregon's jails. The situation is causing problems for sheriffs with smaller and sometimes older jails.

An inmate in the 104-bed Malheur County Jail caused problems one day recently by stealing food from other inmates. Another refused to bathe, and the resulting odor triggered noisy objections that escalated into a fight.

This might not sound unusual in the 3,100 city and county jails around the nation; what might not fit the picture is that these are jails in rural Oregon and the inmates are women.

A handful of rural jails have a surprisingly high percentage of women behind bars -- far surpassing the already high state average. In Crook County last year, women totaled nearly 29 percent of the jail population. In Jefferson and Malheur counties, the number nudged 27 percent.

That compares to a 22 percent state average and 12 percent national average.

more @ link

This is sad. So many rural communities have lost jobs that these women are desperate, resorting to forgery and drugs to get by.

Just another symptom of 30 years of Republicanism and conservative hell.

[tularetom]

1. How many of them are in there on chickenshit drug violations?

The War on Some Drugs is responsible for a lot of these situations, together with the "global" economy that took away the only jobs many of them were qualified for.

[stevedeshazer]

3. Many are there on meth charges.

Oregon is lenient in terms of weed crime sentencing, but no doubt there are many in there simply because of drug violations.

Steal billions of jack from the U.S. Treasury, get a Cabinet appointment. Steal a doughnut from 7-11, go straight to jail.

Class warfare, man.

[pipi_k]

4. Speaking of chickenshit drug violations....

I've been doing my family genealogy for three years. For 50 years my dad thought his mom had deserted him, leaving him with his father. Well, she did, in a way. My grandfather was an alcoholic and my grandmother left to go live with her mother in 1927, when my father was two. Something happened and my grandmother got pregnant...not by my grandfather...and her mother waited till three weeks after the baby was born and then had both of them put into the Women's Prison in Framingham.

Charges: being a "lewd, wanton and lascivious person in speech and behavior".

My grandmother was 23 at the time.

She and her infant spent two years in prison. When she got out, she apparently gave the baby away to family members on her side to raise, while she took jobs in factories and as a domestic.

My father finally met his mom for the first time in about 50 years, just before she died in 1982. I imagine she probably told him about the brother he never knew about.

Oh, and my grandmother's brother...my great uncle...he was arrested once time for being "stubborn".

It was incredible then, and is still incredible today, what people get put into jail/prison for...

[Riftaxe]

5. The war on drugs forced people into

consuming methamphetamine, heroin, "crack" and other illegal substances? :shrug:

Or are you arguing that these people were ignorant of the legality of these substances?

I guess, how is it that you apportion the blame to the "war on drugs"? I mean there is absolutely nothing to stop these people or you yourself from petitioning your representatives to remove the aforementioned drugs from the controlled list, or are you just worried that the rest of society might make such an attempt futile(and why might the majority of people disagree with you)?

Intentionally destroying your physiology while going through life in an addled euphoric state would seem to also be detrimental to employment, whether it be as employee or entrepreneur; Global economy or not.

or to quote from a great comedic movie:

"Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son." Dean V. Wormer, Animal House

[Fumesucker]

7. I guess you missed the *unanimous* US Senate vote to up the ante in the drug war?

Just a couple of days ago?

http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/2010/07/30/senate-votes-to-double-fines-jail-time-for-pot-brownies/

Given the fact that our legislators are hell bent to double down on the drug war what possible chance is there of " petitioning your representatives to remove the aforementioned drugs from the controlled list"?

Why is alcohol not part of the drug war, it's addictive, physically harmful and indeed is one of the most violence causing drugs around as is recognized by the English language itself, "bar fight", "barroom brawl", "ten feet tall and bulletproof" are a few of the phrases talking about the effects of alcohol in causing violence?

The responsibility for the drug war rests on those who instigate it, the politicians.

[Riftaxe]

10. How was prohibition repealed?

If you favor removing substances from the controlled list, don't vote for those same people who vote against it. It really is that simple.

Oh sure, it is not a fast process by any means, but there are advantages in living in a system not subject to ad hoc changes in law.

[Fumesucker]

12. But ad hoc changes to the law happen with some regularity..

The PATRIOT act and the TARP are two more examples of changes in the law that were both ad hoc and massive.

Indeed, TARP was Proposed on Sept 19, 2008 and enacted into law on Oct 3, 2008. I think that qualifies quite handily as "ad hoc".

[tularetom]

9. Quite the authoritarian, aren't you?

However I might feel about fat, drunk and stupid I certainly would never cite Dean Wormer as the voice of moral authority on any topic.

[Riftaxe]

11. Hardly an Authoritarian,

just an advocate of our democratic system. Some people prefer an anarchistic system, yet for some reason always fail to provide examples of it ever working out well.

As far as the quote goes, it depends on what your goals in life are, if going through life fat, drunk and stupid helps you achieve that goal, more power to you :)

[lib2DaBone]

2. "Constructive Possesion" of drugs...

if you get caught riding in a car that has marijuana in the glovebox... you go to jail.. whether you knew it was there or not.

[SoCalDem]

8. A young woman I knew spent 18 months in jail

She was a "typical" young divorcee with 3 little kids. She met a man. He moved in to "help out", and of course he was selling something. He got caught, the house got searched, and since they found whatever he was selling , in the garage, she was also arrested. The ironic part?

He served less time than she did, because HE had names of people to bargain with, and she did not. She also got tagged for neglect, because her children were exposed to a drug dealer.

She had a union job, and lost it, and her kids were awarded to her sister.

She was lucky, and did get her job back, but she still has a record, and she missed out on a lot of time with her kids..her baby was 12 months when she went to jail.

[Maru Kitteh]

13. Don't invite drug dealers to live in your home, especially your home with small children.

DUH.

[lumberjack_jeff]

6. "so sad... desperate...resorting to forgery and drugs to get by"

I've never heard a male criminal described in this way.

[Maru Kitteh]

14. Sure you have. Roman Polanski.

"The poor man was suffering from having his wife and unborn baby murdered. He's an emotional artist." Etc, etc, etc.