Posted by I cannot really do anything about it. And I hope I never have to experience it.
But I have to steal some of the language. NY Times and Washington Post have it.
Since this site is about writing–it is about me too, but not all of me–I’ll take a stab at it before I cut and paste.
“Your willful ignorance, obfuscation, and obstruction have resulted in serious concerns including safety, public corruption, and harm to local residents. You have been told and it has been reported before and you either deny or evade. You are responsible and these severe conditions must be addressed immediately.
End quote. Don’t need to close the quotation marks because it is me writing and I don’t need them. It is always an open quote.
I think that is a fairly bad stab. That is why I need the original.
It is particularly appropriate as my legal education continues. First up: Chris Long and Longevity.
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“In particular, we have reasonable cause to believe that Alabama routinely violates the constitutional rights of prisoners housed in Alabama’s prisons by failing to protect them from prisoner-on-prisoner violence and prisoner-on-prisoner sexual abuse, and by failing to provide safe conditions,” Justice Department officials wrote in a letter to Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey. “The violations are exacerbated by serious deficiencies in staffing and supervision and overcrowding.”
That does not really apply. But we are getting closer.
The department notified the prison system that it could sue in 49 days “if State officials have not satisfactorily addressed our concerns.
“The violations are severe, systemic, and exacerbated by serious deficiencies in staffing and supervision,” the report said, noting that some facilities had fewer than 20 percent of their allotted positions filled. It also cited the use of solitary confinement as a protective measure for vulnerable inmates, and “a high level of violence that is too common, cruel, of an unusual nature, and pervasive.”
This one, not exactly relevant but a blueprint nonetheless. Remember, artists steal.
“For more than two years, the D.O.J. pursued an investigation of issues that have been the subject of ongoing litigation and the target of significant reforms by the state,” a statement from the office of Gov. Kay Ivey said. “Over the coming months, my Administration will be working closely with D.O.J. to ensure that our mutual concerns are addressed and that we remain steadfast in our commitment to public safety, making certain that this Alabama problem has an Alabama solution.”
I cannot stop. Helps to go right to the source, the Times:
But the report called the state “deliberately indifferent” to the risks prisoners face, and said, “It has failed to correct known systemic deficiencies that contribute to the violence.” Legislative efforts to reduce overcrowding through measures such as reducing sentences were not made retroactive and have had “minimal effect,” the report said.
“They’re not fixing them,” and we’ll leave it at that.