not born to hang, either
Sep. 13th, 2008 01:08 amCounty jails are for people serving short sentences for minor offenses, or for people waiting for criminal trials. After being arrested, people with money post bail, while those without stay in the county jail until their trials. That's one of several reasons this makes me sick.
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/09/12/Texas_prisoners_not_evacuated_before_Ike/UPI-51901221249368/
They're talking about the Galveston County Jail. If they were talking about a state prison full of convicted felons, including murderers, I could understand being more concerned about maintaining security and less concerned about saving the lives of prisoners and deputies. (It would still be irresponsible for the person in charge to not take safety measures, but I think it would be more understandable, especially considering how sheriffs and prison staff are trained.)
An awful lot of the people in this jail, in any county jail, are there because they can't afford to post bail. Not even the state of Texas is mean enough to have an official policy of executing them. It's just the sheriff that decided they should stay in place, in a building nominally strong enough to withstand hurricane-force winds...while the island floods. The highest parts of the seawall are 17 feet. The lower parts? The water is already past it.
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/09/12/Texas_prisoners_not_evacuated_before_Ike/UPI-51901221249368/
They're talking about the Galveston County Jail. If they were talking about a state prison full of convicted felons, including murderers, I could understand being more concerned about maintaining security and less concerned about saving the lives of prisoners and deputies. (It would still be irresponsible for the person in charge to not take safety measures, but I think it would be more understandable, especially considering how sheriffs and prison staff are trained.)
An awful lot of the people in this jail, in any county jail, are there because they can't afford to post bail. Not even the state of Texas is mean enough to have an official policy of executing them. It's just the sheriff that decided they should stay in place, in a building nominally strong enough to withstand hurricane-force winds...while the island floods. The highest parts of the seawall are 17 feet. The lower parts? The water is already past it.