Tent jails don't exclude respect

By: MICHAEL K. MOBERLY | Tuesday, February 15, 2005 11:39 PM PST ∞

After reading Greg Scharf's Feb. 4 column, I have a question: Is it that he does not like Supervisor Jeff Stone's idea for building of "tent jails" or just that he does not like Supervisor Stone himself?

If it is the tent jails he objects to, I too have been to many of the county, state and federal detention facilities in California and Arizona.

I too have worked with men and women detained within these facilities. I too know what life within these facilities is like. It is not nice ---- as a matter of fact it can be absolutely appalling.

As to the color of the clothes these people should wear, should we provide them with the latest in fashionable colors? Should we do away with the bright orange jumpsuits of the county detainees? Or the bright blue or yellow or multicolored uniforms used by other agencies to designate the ones considered dangerous?

And should we allow these detainees to smoke, read porno magazines and watch whatever they choose for entertainment? Maybe a library of X-rated videos? Should they also be allowed to hear the latest "gangster" rap song extolling the virtue of putting a bullet into the heads of the "- - - - ing pigs and prosecutors?" Would this make them better citizens, ready to come out into our society and be contributing members?

Supervisor Stone has submitted an idea to help control the exploding costs associated with incarcerating these individuals. Supervisor Stone is taking action to better the lives of all of us, including those jammed four to a cell, designed to fit two. In this day of federal, state and local budget deficits, we must get creative and look for new options on how our limited tax dollars can be put to the most effective use, and Supervisor Stone is doing just that. He is looking for solutions to alleviate these appalling conditions.

Are our troops in Iraq humiliated because they live in tents and eat from a mess hall? Are they degraded because they wear military-issued uniforms and underwear that are not white?

Please do not confuse the issues. Treating detainees with respect and building a tent jail are two totally different issues. A tent jail and treating the inhabitants with respect can coexist. As a matter of fact, building the tent jail will help to alleviate the overcrowded conditions that exist in our jails now, and thereby allow more respect for the inhabitants. But we must also remember that incarceration is not meant to be a country club. Pornography, white underwear and cable television are not constitutionally mandated rights for detainees.

Where is Mr. Scharf's proposal to alleviate these conditions? He states that Supervisor Stone's proposal is not the right answer. He compares it to Abu Ghraib and the atrocities that occurred there. And he equates it to humiliation, not humanitarianism. All of which cannot be further from the truth, just convenient catch phrases to bolster your false premise.

I have learned that before you criticize a suggestion to a problem, you should have your own answer. It may not be right, but have one. That is how we can work toward making things better. Personal attacks achieve nothing.

I must ask again, where is Mr. Scharf's answer? Supervisor Stone has given me some. I await his.

Michael K. Moberly is a Temecula resident.