Guantanamo - Not Your Ordinary Prison
As my profile says, I work in law enforcement, specifically in corrections (that's jails and prisons). I want to say a few words to address the flap over what's going on at Camp X-Ray, and to compare it with what I face when I go to work every day.
First, the number of inmates. Senator Leahy, in Wednesday's Judiciary Committee hearing, related the startling news that no one (NO ONE) was able to tell him what the exact population of Guantanamo was. At the facility I work in, we keep a running total count of every single person housed. I can tell you what the exact headcount is at any given moment throughout the day. Does this mean that my facility's procedures are better than the Federal Government's?
Second, the food. Yes, the inmates here eat well (better than I, but I'm dieting). In my nearly 19 years on the job, I have seen 90-pound drug addicts come in and exit six months later weighing close to 200 pounds. Our menus are reviewed monthly by a certified dietician.
Third, the treatment. If any officer, ANY OFFICER, was observed or documented treating an inmate in the ways described by LCDR Swift or in the Time article (let's not forget Abu Ghraib), that officer would be disciplined. The discipline would range from a written reprimand all the way to firing, or possible civil and criminal liability. And here is where Gitmo and my workplace part ways.
Our treatment of inmates is based on the rule of law, and the construction of laws is based on our Constitution. Federal judges have said that the detainees have the right to a fair and rapid trial, and to have an attorney. But Assistant Attorney General Wiggins testified that, basically, a detainee can be held without charge, without trial, for the duration of his natural life if necessary.
Now, before you say, "They're terrorists," I want to acquaint you with three guys. They are John Lindh, Richard Reid, and Jose Padilla. Lindh and Padilla are US citizens, born in this country; Reid is British.
Lindh was caught in Afghanistan, bearing arms against his country.
Reid was caught trying to set off a bomb in his sneakers.
Padilla was caught talking to higher-ups in al Qaeda about a dirty bomb.
Lindh was afforded the full protection of Federal law, was tried and convicted, and is in prison.
Reid was afforded the full protection of Federal law, was tried and convicted, and is in prison.
Padilla sits in the Consolidated Navy Brig in South Carolina. Since his arrest in 2002, he has not been charged with any crime, and only got access to a lawyer last year.
There's a drop-off here, folks. Justice for one American, justice for a foreigner, no justice whatever for another American. X number of detainees being held for years without charges, access to attorneys or family, abused seemingly at the whim of their captors.
This is NOT America.
And THAT'S what Senator Durbin was trying to say.
First, the number of inmates. Senator Leahy, in Wednesday's Judiciary Committee hearing, related the startling news that no one (NO ONE) was able to tell him what the exact population of Guantanamo was. At the facility I work in, we keep a running total count of every single person housed. I can tell you what the exact headcount is at any given moment throughout the day. Does this mean that my facility's procedures are better than the Federal Government's?
Second, the food. Yes, the inmates here eat well (better than I, but I'm dieting). In my nearly 19 years on the job, I have seen 90-pound drug addicts come in and exit six months later weighing close to 200 pounds. Our menus are reviewed monthly by a certified dietician.
Third, the treatment. If any officer, ANY OFFICER, was observed or documented treating an inmate in the ways described by LCDR Swift or in the Time article (let's not forget Abu Ghraib), that officer would be disciplined. The discipline would range from a written reprimand all the way to firing, or possible civil and criminal liability. And here is where Gitmo and my workplace part ways.
Our treatment of inmates is based on the rule of law, and the construction of laws is based on our Constitution. Federal judges have said that the detainees have the right to a fair and rapid trial, and to have an attorney. But Assistant Attorney General Wiggins testified that, basically, a detainee can be held without charge, without trial, for the duration of his natural life if necessary.
Now, before you say, "They're terrorists," I want to acquaint you with three guys. They are John Lindh, Richard Reid, and Jose Padilla. Lindh and Padilla are US citizens, born in this country; Reid is British.
Lindh was caught in Afghanistan, bearing arms against his country.
Reid was caught trying to set off a bomb in his sneakers.
Padilla was caught talking to higher-ups in al Qaeda about a dirty bomb.
Lindh was afforded the full protection of Federal law, was tried and convicted, and is in prison.
Reid was afforded the full protection of Federal law, was tried and convicted, and is in prison.
Padilla sits in the Consolidated Navy Brig in South Carolina. Since his arrest in 2002, he has not been charged with any crime, and only got access to a lawyer last year.
There's a drop-off here, folks. Justice for one American, justice for a foreigner, no justice whatever for another American. X number of detainees being held for years without charges, access to attorneys or family, abused seemingly at the whim of their captors.
This is NOT America.
And THAT'S what Senator Durbin was trying to say.
posted by Walt at 9:52 PM
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