Sheriff Joe Arpaio Estrella Jail Tent City (My stay in a concentration camp) abused & mistreated Phoenix Arizona

Geez, I have NO SYMPATHY for you. Why should I feel sorry for you when you are obvousily a CONVICTED FELON for DRUNK DRIVING. Hopefully you didnt hit anyone and hurt them or worse KILL THEM. Maybe next time, your wife or child will be killed by a DRUNK DRIVER like yourself and we will hear how angry you are about it & such. You are being PUNISHED and the more you dislike it, the happier I am about it. I dont get drunk & drive or commit other crimes that are against the law. I dont do things that can cause injury to others like you seem to do by your own admission. So as the old saying goes, "If you cant do the time, dont do the crime".

i am really getting so PO'd about the complaints that the incarcerated have. no cable, bag lunches, having to live with other criminals, not having any freedom,etc. know what? if you don't like prison, don't do anything to be put there. oh wait, everybody in prison is innocent, or a victim of something. don't play if you're not willing to pay

Do you people even know what your talking about? I think not. First of all, being convicted of a DUI does NOT automatically make you a felon. If you complete your probation, pay your fines, and complete your alcohol abuse classes your DUI is a Class 1 misdemeanor.

I don't want the drinkers of the world driving on the same roads as myself and my children but for pete sakes, if your going to comment about something, at least take the time to research the topic BEFORE you open your mouth.

And to you BooHoo Convicts.

Here in Mesa Arizona you can go to jail for absolutely nothing. If your pulled over by a Mesa cop and he/she has made a mistake. Don't expect an apology and a friendly handshake. You can easily be taken to jail because of what is planted in your car, on your person or just by the fact that a cop said you did something wrong.

And if you are taken to jail, you may or may not be able to post your bond. If you can't, then your in for a long, long, wait. Thats right you will stay in jail until a judge see's fit to let you out. All without being CONVICTED of any crime.....

First off, the mere fact that the report filer was only sentenced to fifteen days in the county jail shows that he was not found guilty of a felony. Felons go to prison, not jail. If you don't understand the distinction between misdemeanors and felonies, or between prison and jail, then your simplistic rhetoric will not pass for reasoned social discourse. I've spent alot of time with ex-cons, as most of my friends back in my younger days were degenerates. Of all the complaints those old friends of mine may have had about their experiences with the criminal justice system, not once did I hear anyone say that they were more in fear of the guards and the living conditions than they were of other inmates. Yet, in Maricopa county, it seems that the biggest danger is a complete disregard for human and civil rights.

If Maricopa county was in South America, Amnesty International would be pushing for a military invasion. If you value your own civil rights, even if you have no sympathy for criminals, you should be outraged that this kind of thing is occuring in your country.

Sherriff Joe is in direct violation of the eighth amendment to the U.S. constitution. The punishment he doles out is both cruel AND unusual. Beyond these constitutional considerations, we should also be EXTREMELY concerned with the lack of proper sanitation and respect for inmate safety. Just because somebody is being punished for a crime does not mean they should put be put at risk of death. Maybe this man did in fact put other people at risk by his carelessness, but what about the kids busted with some pot, the shoplifters, or the non-adjudicated suspects that actually make up the great majority of Joe's inmates? In case you skipped that day in civics class (maybe it was the same day they discussed the eighth amendment), we are innocent until proven guilty in our country.

Beyond what he does to his inmates, Sherrif Joe has done a great disservice to the community he serves. He claims to have saved the county a great deal of money by his use of tents and rotten food, but in fact he has cost the county far more money in civil damages than he has saved them by his lack of respect for human life and dignity. He also allows a relative to operate his commissary, wherein prices are inflated often to 900% of their common retail rates. This is a blatant conflict of interest, and probably a violation of RICO as well.

Hopefully, someday soon, victims of Joe's twisted ideology (which, might I add, goes completely against criminological theories on how to curtail crime via enforcement and incarceration) will find themselves a good lawyer and sue the county for enough money to convince the voters to throw this bum out on his ass.

And if by chance Joe himself reads this message, I'd like to remind him that one day the citizens of Maricopa county will see him for what he really is. He will be forced into retirement via lawsuits, only to live out the rest of his life as a pariah. Joe, you are a disgrace to the criminal jsutice system. It's guys like you who give good cops a bad name. Dump the rhetoric and the wild west show, do some research on effective public policy, get yourself a copy of the bill of rights, and start being the good lawman you pretend to be before it's too late.

Quite aside from all the constitutional
considerations and the pure, cold, objective
realities of what ACTUALLY happens in Maricopa
County, the above remarks from pro-Arpaio
persons reflect the "hang 'em high" and
"lock 'em up and throw away the key" mentality
that prevails in places like this, where
crime flourishes and very little actual
law enforcement is actually done.

I am one of many people who wound up in
this dungeon, quite literally, by plain error...
Not MY error, I hasten to add. Not only did
I not do the deed of which I was accused,
I didn't even know what the charges were about,
never lived or even visited the area where
these crime apparently happened, and until
this stupidity happened, had never even been
pointedly questioned by a police officer.

I am in my 50's, and the suspect they were
after was apparently in his 20's or
early 30's, I never did find out.

This cost me a lot of time and money,
and a lot of my health. By the way, in case
you wonder, as nearly as I could tell from
what limited feedback I got, nobody on the
prosecutorial side ever even checked out my
credentials, and I could not even successfully
establish my correct identify with these
morons until we actually got to trial, and
their "case" fell apart.

It is a murderously difficult thing in
these venues to get ANYONE to acknowledge
that old thing about "innocent until proven
guilty"...

And I don't want to go into tear-jerking
detail, either. There is a point here,
though: I was on the brink of accepting
a plea bargain when a family member hired
a REAL attorney, and even then and despite
the fact I decided to sue as soon as I
was out of the trial phase, NOBODY would
acknowledge the obvious fact: I had been
seriously misidentified, apparently by
someone either protecting the real
"perpetrator" or by someone with a grudge.
I never found out which.

A lot of people in these horror
houses take plea bargains when they are
innocent, just to get out of that miserable and
life-threatening, unjust, monstrous
place, and yet--now that I am back
"on the street"--I notice lots of genuine
crooks, walking around, unmolested,

which these cowards are unwilling to even
question.

What's wrong with the jail system is
not merely Arapaio, it goes much deeper,
to the very core of those who ignorantly
and stupidly presume everyone who is in
this worse-than-concentration-camp
environment is AUTOMATICALLY guilty. Such
mentalities are far more dangerous to
democracy and freedom and to ALL free men
than any external threat.

Arpaio is a terrorist. Plain and simple.
And the idiotic antics with the actor and
the bogus informant he was paying off
illustrate just how rotten he and the forces
behind him are.

This is sooooooooooo stupid. If you go to jail or prision, do not expect to be treated like God. You are luck its not like the old day. An eye for an eye. That is how it should be. I was punched in the face by another female, she was found guilty of assult, and ya, she never did any time. See, so just wait, if you think jail or prison is bad, God is the last to judge us all. Remember, no one can punish like God!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stacy, guess what? ANYONE can wind up
in Arpaio's silly-assed publicity generating
mechanism.

Guilt, crimes, offenses...these are unrelated.
Eye for an eye? What eye? I did 24 days on
a silly-assed mistake.

And the other moron, maybe should know that
a "convict" is somebody who has been CONVICTED.
That means he or she is at least technically
GUILTY. An "inmate" is a SUSPECT. Huge
difference, especially in a goofy-assed
venue like this where the scumbag, corrupt
cop looking to make a quota is the RULE
rather than the exceptions. You can wind
up in jail here because you look like someone
else, because a local Mormon or rich person
just plain dislikes you, because a paid
snitch ratted you out to avoid trouble
with his real drug supplier...any number
of fraudulent reasons.

Joe is a fraud, and his "jails" are
a criminal offense in themselves. He has
NOTHING TO DO WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT. He is
some kind of actor/performer, who unfortunately
has power. He paid me $24,000 for false
imprisonment, and I assure you, I am
guilty of NOTHING of which I stood accused.

This needs to stop, and it needs to
stop NOW.

"And the other moron, maybe should know that
a "convict" is somebody who has been CONVICTED.
That means he or she is at least technically
GUILTY.

An "inmate" is a SUSPECT", an inmate and a convict can be the same thing, if you are in a county jail you are an inmate, you can be sentenced to do time in county, not more than 364 days, so those people not just awaiting trial, that are serving time are convicts and inmates in the jail, not all convicts are sent to prison, and not all inmates are just "suspects" or accused of crimes, they may be convicted and serving out their misdemeanor sentence in jail, cause you don't go to prison for a misdemeanor.

Don't drink while driving. Get a designated driver or a taxi cab to take you to your destination and come back for your car in the morning. Better yet, you know you are going to get blitzed, take cab to and from the bar. At least all you will have is a hangover and not a criminal record.

Some of the funniest videos I have EVER seen are people taking and failing the Roadside Sobriety Tests...So it will be less entertainment for me but safer for you and other drivers if you just drink at home and you can pass out in your own place or take a cab.

Don't smoke weed or do dope while driving.
A cop will pick up on your erratic driving pattern and he/she will ask that the narcotics sniffing K-9 will be brought in to search your car --and the cop WILL be able to articulate probably cause and that can get a search warrant issued on you in Texas! It goes to hell from there.

The doggie finds the dope and it is all caught on vidcam and away you go!

I wish I could feel more sympathy for the man in the hot old jail, maybe he would prefer a coffin and that COULD happen when you drink and drive. Or even worse, think how immobile you would feel if you had a spinal injury or a head injury due to a DUID-caused traffic wreck. Or you burned to death while you were alive because you were hit by a DUID driver or you pinned yourself in the vehicle because you were DUID and burned up in the wreck.

There ARE LOUSY law enforcement agencies and there are even worse excuses for law enforcement officers running around loose out there. THIS IS TRUE. I HAVE SEEN THEM.

BUT WHEN YOU CHOSE TO DRIVE IN A MANNER THAT ATTRACTED THE ATTENTION OF LAW ENFORCEMENT, YOU did this to YOURSELF!

First I would like to make a comment to "name withheld for sake of one owns lfe" --- I have no sympathy for you what-so-ever. Now, if you would have stated you were innocent, maybe. But you stated that you were serving 15 days in the Tent City Jail for a DUI, implying to me that you yourself realize you are 100% guilty...no comment or declaration of innocence anywhere in your statement. I do not feel sorry for the following people who commit (and are guilty of) the following crimes: Murder, Rape, Crimes against Children and Driving under the influence. I like to drink, but I've got enough common sense to know NOT to drive after I've been drinking. How many more men, women and children have to be killed for people like you to do something so simple as to hand your keys to someone else if you've been drinking or to call a cab?

Even after the extreme conditions it sounds like you've learned NOTHING. Even bragging that you "had access to anything you wanted" (refering to drugs). Sounds like you had one big party in "one of the worst hells you went thru"...must be nice. You tell us it was one of the worst jails you've been in then you tell is it was the most lax. Ohh...and if you thought you were hot over there with no A/C, imagine how our troops feel ever damn day over there in Iraq...and they commited no crimes. Their fighting for YOU. You have no respect. You deserved everything you got.

Ohh...and for Jill in Mesa...news flash sweetie...Arizona isn't the only place you can be arrested for something you didn't do. It happens every day in every state. This man wasn't innocent, and neither are the MAJORITY of the inmates, convicted or NOT!

I am appaled by the way some of you people think, what if it were one of your own family members going to serve time there for a misdemeaner or any kind of crime. There's a big difference between punishment and complete disregard for the human being serving the time.

My Husband lived in Mesa for a winter and had been out with some frinds having a couple of beers. He was far from being drunk, he hadn't even had a drink for the last 3 hours before driving home. On his way home his front tire blew out and while trying to remain in control of the vehicle to get it out the road he bumped the curb before coming to a complete stop. A police officer watching from nearby pulled up with his lights on and proceeded to interagate my husband. He gave him field sobriety test which a completely sober person couldn't pass and then gave him a breathalizer. My husband passed the breathalizer and the officer didn't agree nor like that. He arrested him anyways and took him to the jail where the officer made it mandatory that he give a blood sample. The results came back and he barely failed, which leads me to belive that they will go to any length to find you guilty.

My husband went to court and was sentenced to do 10 days in jail all but 1 were suspended. He is getting ready to go in and serve his sentence and even though he's only going to be there for 1 day it scares me to death that he's going to be in that death trap . Rottenm food, the temperatures, and not to mention the guards.

Now come on people be honest, all of you self rightous people talking about if you can't do the time don't do the crime. Well just how many of you have gotten off work and stopped to have even 1 beer. Now your probobly thinking that having 1 beer doesn't get you drunk, well I have some news for you it might not get you drunk and you might still be in complete control but if your stopped having just that 1 beer puts you over the 0.08 tolerance and lands you right in the middle of sheriff joe's torture camp with a DUI. So next time you want to speak your opinion on such a serious matter you should stop and think about how many times that could have been you or one of your loved ones.

"My husband passed the breathalizer and the officer didn't agree nor like that. He arrested him anyways and took him to the jail where the officer made it mandatory that he give a blood sample. The results came back and he barely failed,"

You've got it backwards sweetheart. Or your man isn't telling you the whole truth. People who fail the breath test should IMMEDIATELY ask for a blood test. You see, it takes time to get to the hospital, etc., and therefore the blood test will be LOWER in almost every possible instance.

Also, as to the conditions these poor criminals are having to suffer, you would do well to remember that we have young men and women serving in the armed forces who are living in worse conditions, and they are NOT felons. Sorry, no sympathy here......

I agree that sheriff is as crooked as a dogs hind leg, and needs to be sent packing. But the truth of it is, the detention officers are the main cause of the problems at the jails.
Those people lack any sense. They are lazy, and stupid. The only purpose they ever had in life was to throw hate at people. They are so full of hate, they fail to do the job they were given.

I won't make excuses, or whine, I was stupid, drove drunk, and was sentenced to 10 days in Tent City.

I did alot of checking, made phone calls, I even had a very nice lady that works in the Tents admin, confirm what I could, and could not bring with me. That was a joke. The correction officers that day, were prehistoric cavemen at best.

They decided to make up their own rules, so the things we were told that we could bring with us, they were all of the sudden not allowed, and had to be thrown away. The next group was allowed to bring those items in though. That's just the begining of the ordeal.

The whole ordeal was a nightmare. I thought that by surrendering voluntarily, I might be treated like a human being who made a mistake, not a wild rabid animal, trying to escape my captors.

You get to sit in a holding cell, and it's about 8'X 10', with, during my intake was packed with 36 men, for 6 hours. Now, the door was open so we could here, but every once in a while, the under educated, moron, who was in charge, he would shut the door, for no reason, exept to get the temps and humidity in the cell above 90, and 100%.

The way we could tell this is because one of the men had a clock with a thermometer, and the windows in the cell would literally drip with water. That way we would all behave. I hope the officers aren't allowed to reproduce.

So, after enduring that, we were finally going to " The Tents" ewwwwwww scary. The next apes to come in, a little Lieutenant, and a sergeant, wwho was a big idiot. They brought in the cuffs, and leg irons. We needed those in case we decided to run, Why would anybody run? Even with thatr, you'd have to convince the guy you were cuffed to to run with you. And risk five years on an escape charge.

OK, so here we stand, cuffed and shackled, and ready to go. I was in sandles, with no socks on, so the little Lieutenant grunted 2 times, and scratched himself to show power, and made sure the leg irons were as tight as they could be around my ankles. I guess it made him feel tough.

So while being marched to the tents, the leg irons dug deep into my ankles causing quite a bit of bleeding, and scars.

1st phase done. Dealt with.

I had to do the 1st 48 hours in the tents, OK, deal with it. So I spend this time observing. I watced the guards, every once in a while they would come out of the office to grunt, and yell something ridiculous at somebody, give them an idle threat, and retreat back into their feeble mind again to strain to think of some other type of grunt and yell they could use.

If they were really feeble, they would stick the microphine into there mouth, and make gutteral noises over the P.A. system, thinking that we could understand thier primitive language.

So now this goes on and on, until finally, woo hoo, Monday arrives.

Quick paragraph, I get to go to work, so Manday thru Friday, I am out for 12 hours a day, so this time went quick. I didn't have to eat the food, or use the facilties, so all was good.

Speaking of the facilities and food. The toilets leaked, and were never cleaned. The urinals over flowed, and the sinks has scum built up all over.

Totally unsanitary, and a great health risk. The food was served out in the open, with a bevy of flys an pidgeons on hand to share the wealth.

SO I just chose to avoid the food all together for fear of some disease taking over my body, maybe making me stupid like the sheriff and his guards.

So we get thru the week, knowing that I have Saturday, and Sunday to stay in the tents again, and listen to the guards grunt, and scratch, and yell stupid things.

Monday was July 4th, I would be out for the day, and then my time would be up.
Now's where it gets interesting.

I get out on July 4th for 12 hours, cool, I follow the rules, and get back when I'm supposed to. Here's where the fun begins!!!

I get in line to check in, and viola, I am informed I was getting "kicked out".
I get my stuff, and start waiting. The come to get us, shackles included, just in case we decide to run to our release from jail.

From there we are marched to the same nice place we came in thru, and again, put in a tiny cell. Nobody minds, hell, we're going home.

After an hour or so of watching the guards grunt, and scratch, and do guard stuff, we are loaded in vans for our final journey to lower buckeye jail for release. This was fun, we got to see a whole new group of Joe's handicapped guards. But these guards were special, they were allowed to be more lazy than evertbody else. I was impressed.

So we get into LBJ, and loaded into another holding cell. No problem still, we're going home. That was around 9PM
Yeah right!!!

We sat in that cell for 6 and 3/4 hours, watching the lazy, stupid guards, walk back and forth, looking like they were lost, but not doing a thing. After 6 hours, we took bets on when the first person would be called out. I won!!

In fact I was called out at 3:45 AM. I was stoked!!

I figured this was it, time to go. NOT!!!

About 5 of us were taken for finger prints. That killed about 30 minutes, and the abuse by the retard with the badge, that was awsome. She was so pent up with hate for humans, she couldn't even come close to being happy.

So the prints were done. She informed us that she would give the files to the evil sargeant, and we woud be out soon.

3 hours later, 6:45 AM, the evil sarge called about 7 people out, and away they went, home.
Figuring that she was doing this a few at a time to reduce crowds, we waited. Then there was some stirring, something was happening, could this be it? Are we getting out? Nope, we were doing shift change.

The guards had used up their 8 hours of hate, and the next shift of hateful morons was coming on. Cool!! All the paperwork in done, they should just be able to let us out. NOT!! They ignored us for a few more hours.

Now it's 9:30 AM, 15 hours in the holding cell. Well at least there was a new evil sarge on duty. This new evil sarge was about 19 years old, and had such a head full of uneducated hate in him, it was unreal.

So in closing, at around 9:30, we get called again. Out we go. NOT!!!! It's time for more finger prints. Wow, hey officer, didn't we do that already? NO!!! "Quit giving me a hard time, you get to go last, because I'm an idiot, and can control you!!!!"

So we get printed again, and thrown in the cell again. By this time a new group has come to be released, so it's more crowded.

Finally, 10:30 AM, 15 1/2 hour later, with nothing to eat, just some warm water, we get called, and released.

Now all you people that say " stop whining" well, I had a court order to do 10 days in jail, I did my time, I paid my debt, but I was heald an extra 15 1/2, for no reason other that the incompitence of Sheriff Joe, and his untrained group of monkeys.

So the point is, Yes I commited a pretty serious crime, and got jail time. But I didn't get what I deserved.

Sheriff Joe needs to be stopped, and all you people that just listen to him, and that don't face the facts, are really blind.

We need to compile a list of everyone who votes for Joe, and let them pitch in and pay the millions of dollars in lawsuits, and leave the rest of us out of it.

Bob from AZ I agree with your report! "So the point is, Yes I commited a pretty serious crime, and got jail time. But I didn't get what I deserved."

So true you deserved MUCH worse as you have no remorse! I think I will move to AZ so I can vote for this law man!

How are you my friend? Although I agree that Bob desrved punishment for his crime, you do not live here, so you don't know how really bad it is in the Sheriff Joe jail system. For a clue, search some of the following on this site:

Joe Arpaio
Durango Jail
Estrella Jail
Maricopa County

That should be a good start. And for City Police Corruption at it's finest, search Mesa Police to see how messed up this town is.

Sheriff Joe is hurting this community more than he is helping. Crime is on a rampage. Jails are extremely overcrowded, and those currently being built will be overcrowded as soon as they open. And his antics are costing AZ taxpayers millions in lawsuits filed against him, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Dept, and the Maricopa County jail System.

And for a chuckle, here is a good one for you. In May, Sheriff Joe ordered that all handcuffs used by MCSO be colored pink. He says this is to prevent MCSO handcuffs from being taken by other law enforcement agencies. I assume the color matches the pink underwear all the detainees are made to wear. How much money do you think he is wasting with this?

Look over to the MESA police File here on RIp OFF Report and see what I had to say.

He is off the hook but so are the crooks. How many times did that sicko Joseph Edward Duncan III get out of other "jails".

There has to be a ballance my friend.

I am a 46 year old male and have never been handcuft or arrested in my life. Have I broken a law- of course, I've driven to fast, maybe drank a beer and didn't wait a full hour before driving.

That being said I feel that our penial system needs a lot of help. A good friend of mine who did nothing wrong was stopped for DWB (Driving while Black)and during the time he was held had to protect himself and ended up doing 5 years in prison. All you "Know it alls" that think it can't happen to them need to wake up, it WILL happen to you or a loved one someday and you will yell and scream and no one will listen. Every day good people are treated like animals in our jail system. Yes- there are bad people who do horrible things and should be put away but that is only 15% of the jail population. It is BETTER in RUSSIA than in North Carolina or Arizona and elsewhere. But again thoes who say you get what you deserve- what till your son get caught doing something stupid but not harmful and goes to jail overnight- the gaurd this he's PRETTY and when he fights for his man hood he ends up in the big jail for years. YOU OR YOUR LOVED ONES ARE NEXT- THEN LETS HEAR YOU SQUEAL ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS.

Silly question, why is the AZ having more then its fair share of drug (meth) problems? More then most of the country? Yes meth is a nation wide issue but why AZ more then say Southern California which has had its issues with all drugs?

My car was broken in to while parked less then 5 minutes in front of a hotel in Phoenix a few years ago. Parked in front of the front door for that matter as I checked in. They took all my R/C soaring gear and other things. Never to be recovered the police said that the hotels were hit often by meth heads for stuff to sell. Must be pretty brazen to risk busting out a window in plain view.

Point is, even the barbaric tactics of the renegade police are not stemming the tide of drug induced crime in AZ.? What gives I know if I were a crook or a dope head I would stay far away from anyplace that has cops like this yet crime is up?

Its been said before, but I will say it again, Tent City is ment for those prior to sentencing.

Translation for morons = holding facility until a ruling is made as to guilt v. innocence.

My husband was arrested for civil contempt charges. He was locked up for four months (to the day)before he ever even saw a judge! He was ultimately ordered to be released immediatedly. (Kudos to the very Honorable Pallin - Hill!)

Let me note that my husband had absolutely no criminal history, not even a speeding charge, prior to his arrest. Nor, does he now.

He was ordered to appear in court two weeks after his arrest. The State failed to show.

He was order to appear a second time, a month after the the first "appearance". The court did not have time to hear my husband.

The third scheduled appearance, the jail had no record of this hearing. Thus, they refused to let him out to attend. My husband's mom and I had to make a multitude of phone calls to ensure that additonal charges were not laid against him for "failure to appear".

The fourth scheduled hearing the Honorable Judge Pallin- Hill explained that he was going home immediately

Well, the jail refused to let him go.It took these fools an additional twenty four hours to figure out what "The defendant is to be released immediately." meant!

It would appear that these idiots miscommunicate all the time. I know that my husband's parole officer in there allowed him to leave for the birth of our son (He still missed it). The other PO failed to recognise this granted permission and tried to reprimand my husband for his apparent twenty four hour absence!

As a result of this unlawful incarceration, my husband missed the birth of our first child, we lost our home, my son was fatherless for the first 3 months of his life, my mother - in - law suffered numerous heart attacks, the list of negative ramifications goes on...

Should I tell you about the frisking and ticket they gave me 2 days prior to the birth of my son? i was "parked" ouside the tents to pick my husband up for work furlough. It was 10:30 at night, and I was stopped underneath the lamp post for better lighting (safety), when these goons in a big ol' Exucursion with flashing lights and sirens, rammed up on my rear. The asked me what I was doing, I explained. They ran my driver's license and plates, proceed to frisk me over the hood of my car with my big ol' belly and then issued me a $100.00 ticket. Don't you just love 'em!

Please do not talk about "Don't do the crime, and you won't do the time!" This just isn't true in Maricopa County.

Please read my report on the superior court of Arizona. I was in Tent city for 3 months (Dec- Feb), then 1 month in state prison.

Everyone, including the D.O's., thought that my charges were ridiculus and I shouldn't be in jail. Everyone thought that I would be dismissed on the charge of DUI by means of passing gas. But, the judicial system in Arizona is a mess! I'm still trying to get my appeal date. The court recorder or the court system changed Officers testamonies to protect the city and state.

Something needs to be do about the crooked judicial figures in this state!

Did you know that Sherrif Joe and Maricopa County get's paid $150 per person, per day for everyone that is in jail?

It's no wonder why the state is quick to throw someone in jail. It's BIG business!!!!!

First off you broke the law. You could have killed a family, working Dad or Mom, a Grandma, on and on...Second to those who say it is inhumane, it is also inhumane to kill someone while you are drunk. How about this-you stop driving drunk and then you don't have to worry about it. You ask me 15 days is too short. First offense should be one year in tent city, loss of license for five years, and 500 hours of community service. Your community service should be helping those injured permanently by drunk drivers like you. For all you sympathisers spend a day in a clinic for people who have injuries from drunk drivers. Or, attend a funeral when a little girl is crying because her Dad is dead.

Give it up!!!

Those that criticize should understand that there may be fact that you do not know.

I was arrested for boating under the influence. I had just opened and sipped a beer (legal in CA). They were having a crack-down, and I was the last one they got before closing down.

According to the officer, I blew a 1.2, which I thought odd, as I did not drink much that night. Went to jail, but couldn’t sleep because I was in a cell with a snoring pig. The Deputy working felt sorry for me, so she said she’d try to help process me out – time elapsed, 1:30. My reading: .035. Let me tell you, it is not possible to metabolize alcohol that quickly. I was release with a “speeding” ticket. His claim: I was going 12mph at night – whatever. So, I figured that I got off. Well, pretty soon, I get a love letter from the DA. I show up in court for my armament. I ask the judge if there is some alternative (I did not want to through a DUI trial). He looked at the DA and asked. DA’s reply was a smug, “not with a 1.2”. So, I get a lawyer. To make a long story short – it was amazing how quickly the DA changed his position! I did not have to go to trial and was cleared of the charge.

Bottom line – DUI isn’t the crime of the century, and too often people are railroaded, just because they can’t afford a lawyer (typical DUI = $10,000 in lawyer fees) and make too much to get a state provided lawyer.

In addition, just because someone is put in jail, does not mean that they should be subjected to conditions that we wouldn't put our pets in.

I was a victim of a drunk driver and have been suffering in pain for 20 years, so I know how serious the offense is. The point is, whether some think it should've been more time and harder conditions, there was a sentence given and it was not complied with by the facility! There are standards which must be adhered to to protect people's rights, period!

This is happening all over this country, where people are so mistreated by law enforcement and their civil rights are being violated. That is unacceptable. And that's the point. Being falsey accused can happen to anybody. Don't be so quick to judge the unfortunate people who have been violated by the system.

People need to understand that with Arizona's zero tolerance laws regarding DUI, this can happen to anyone who has so much as 1 glass of wine dining out and then drives home. I think we can all agree that 1 glass of beer or wine does not impair your driving - - certainly not to the degree that you would drive blotto and kill someone. DUI means driving under the influence - - in Arizona the offense used to be designated as DWI, meaning driving while intoxicated. What the new designation means is that if you are impaired to the slightest degree you can be arrested for a DUI. You DO NOT have to blow a 0.08 or have your blood test register at above a 0.08 to be charged with and convicted of a DUI. If you register anything you can be charged and convicted depending on the circumstances.

Some of the self-righteous responses to this posting have spouted the typical get a designated driver, sleep it off then drive home rhetoric. Do you really think you need a designated driver or a taxi ride home after you've had a glass of wine with dinner? Did you know that in Arizona you can attempt to sleep it off in your car prior to driving home and still be arrested for a DUI because you are considered to be in physical control of the vehicle - - even if you had absolutely no intention of driving?

It is important to understand that the spirit of the law is absolutely being violated by the police and most definitely by Sheriff Joe and his jail guards. When someone is arrested for attempting to do the right thing - - sleep it off before driving simply because there is a loophole that allows this - - the spirt of the law is being severely abused. Jail should not be pleasant - - it should be an experience that should make a person never want to repeat the actions that placed them there. However, you must remember that not everyone there has been placed there fairly. It also should be sanitary, safe, and the food edible. A person should not have to jeapardize their health and safety in order to pay their debt to society. Grow up people - - you should be offended by this violation of people's civil rights.

As unpleasant as it may be. And since a cop can't make a determination of guilt or innocence on the spot. You are usually "detained". And since your being detained you have to be held somewhere. You know, so things can be sorted out. Right! And while your waiting for the words you know are coming already. "I'm placing you under arrest for bla, bla, bla." You have the right to be considered human and treated human. Now after you are officially under arrest, if I'm understanding you people that are so Pro Joe, your not human anymore. Right? You haven't been "convicted" by a jury of your peers, of any crime. But Joe and his goon's have the right to disgrace you. Demoralize you. Degrade you. Insult you. Abuse you. Mentally and physically. And subject you to the elements inside his jail. BEFORE you've even stood before a judge. WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?

Don't you see how wrong that is? No because your so sure of the fact that the only way to end up in one of Arpaio's hell on earth jails is by doing something wrong. So now YOU are Judge, Jury, and Sentencer.

People that don't live in Maricopa County, AZ and probably have never even been here should, In my opinion, do a little research on topics they are responding to. Especially when it comes to law enforcement in Arizona. Sure maybe someone has been pulled over for a traffic infraction. Maybe that person is DUI or DWI. But maybe NOT. Maybe that person looks like someone else in this world. Maybe they just got done killing someone. The point is, the justice system is in place to sort all that out. NOT YOU from Florida, or Timbucktoo for that matter.

I'm not saying put them up in a Hilton but for God sakes let evidence convict them. And until they are CONVICTED they are to be presumed INOCENT. Thats the LAW. EVERYWHERE. Food, medical attention (if needed), a phone call to a loved one or a lawyer is not asking for too much.

Arpaio's jails are flatout, inhumane. So much so that Amnesty Internationl has made numerous requests to higher government agencies to step in and demand these jails be reformed. Of course they have no real athority so that too is burried in some court somewhere.

Tell you what. You have my personal invitation. Visit Maricopa County, AZ. But don't get caught speeding, or driving after taking Nyquil. Hope to God your not driving a car that looks just like another car that ran over somebody. Or your lastname is one letter off of the name of someone who shot their girlfriend. Because according to you. You'll get what you deserve.

I read your post and frankly Im very upset that you would even complain about the way YOU were treated. You see my friend on November 9th 2003 I was hit by a drunk driver, She was traveling 70 Mph when she hit me, Since then I have had Two seperate neck surgery's, I have a plate and screws in my neck from all this. My children and My wife and myself have paid the price for this womens actions. I have been unable to work since the night of this accident.

Do me a favor think about the person and family that can really be hurt by your actions before getting behind the wheel next time after you have been drinking, If you think about it first you wont hurt anybody and you wont have a reason to make a post such as this. thanks

Sherriff Joe has never been accused of coddling inmates regardless if they are there because they can't afford bail or not. The fact is, you were there; ??served 15 days in tent city for DUI?. Ok, so it's normal procedure to make someone who isn't convicted of the crime they are charged with to serve a sentence, even it was only 15 days? Then, after still not being convicted of a crime, no one bats an eye at being made to serve in a work release program ?12 in 12 hours out?? I need an explanation at how this is accomplished please.

As far as what Tim said, ?Beyond these constitutional considerations, we should also be EXTREMELY concerned with the lack of proper sanitation and respect for inmate safety.? I would like to ask you if this man should have respected every person he may have endangered when driving under the influence? Should he have considered the public's constitutional rights to be safe?

??but what about the kids busted with some pot, the shoplifters, or the non-adjudicated suspects that actually make up the great majority of Joe's inmates??
Pot and shoplifting is still illegal, isn't it? The non-adjudicated are thrown into the jaws of Sherriff Joe and just left there? No one is appointed to represent them? If you can't afford a lawyer in Arizona then you're just SOL?

??we are innocent until proven guilty in our country.? I'm under the impression he was proven guilty?isn't that why he served 15 days and had to complete a work release program? I'm not savvy on constitutional rights and laws regarding punishments so if I'm off base I'd like to know why he was made to serve time/work release.

I have no problems admitting that I'm no genius but I certainly don't think you implying with snide comments helps your cause at all and it even comes off, in my opinion, like you've had personal dealings with the Sherriff. Also, like it or not, I have to agree to a certain extent with some of the other commenter's. Jail isn't supposed to be a comfy, cozy place where your cute fuzzy slippers are ready for you when you wake up in the morning. You don't like the tents? You get sick from the heat? The food sucks? Sorry, your personal comfort stopped being my concern when you decided to drive drunk. How about following the wise advice of Fletcher Reede (Jim Carrey) from the movie ?Liar Liar?? ?STOP BREAKING THE LAW A**H***!? Great movie, everyone should see it.

Jill, um?what? ?Sure maybe someone has been pulled over for a traffic infraction. Maybe that person is DUI or DWI. But maybe NOT. Maybe that person looks like someone else in this world. Maybe they just got done killing someone. The point is, the justice system is in place to sort all that out. NOT YOU from Florida, or Timbucktoo(sic) for that matter.? Yes, and? The guy posted his problems on a public forum. If it bother's you that people are voicing their opinion's maybe you shouldn't visit public areas on the internet. It's just a suggestion.

And until they are CONVICTED they are to be presumed INOCENT. Thats(sic) the LAW. EVERYWHERE. Food, medical attention (if needed), a phone call to a loved one or a lawyer is not asking for too much. Are you suggesting that when they are convicted THEN it will be okay to treat ?em like crap?

??don't get caught speeding, or driving after taking Nyquil.? Doesn't the ?Ny? in Nyquil mean sleepy time? Could that be mistaken for alcohol because well?it contains alcohol?

Jill, if you're hyperventilating, the paper bag trick doesn't work. Beer, or Nyquil, will calm your nerves.

My boyfriend is currently spending 4 months in Sherriff Joe's Tent City. He has been there since March 17 and gets out on the 23 of next month. It is scary every time he calls me and tells me yet another person died there that day from the heat. It is inhumane to have people out in 120 degree weather and those tents are even worse. In the summer those tents can get up to 140 degrees inside of them. They eat rotten food and they get wrongfully accused of things every day in there. At the work ferlough yard they dont even have an air conditioned room to go in when they are there and at the regualar tents they have a day room with air conditioning that doesnt work. You are saying that they shouldn't be treated good but the people in Sherriff Joes jails have done minor things. They have violated probation, or gotten DUI's or have merely been accused of something without anyone even trying to proove their innocence. Tent City Jails are cruel in Arizona. At least 1 person dies in there each month.. This month i have already heard of 3 people dieing in there. But they wont show that on the news. Those boys aren't just dieing from heat they are dieing from the food they are eating or killing themselves because they just dont want to be in there any more or they are getting so sick and they nurses there just dont believe them. These past months that he has been there i have been worried every day. There are approximately 800 men in the male side of Tent city right now, and about 400 women on the female side, those are peoples mothers daughters sisters wives grandmothers aunts cousins friends husbands sons fathers brothers grandfathers uncles cousins friends etc. If it was your loved ones you really wouldnt think it was too great would you? They are being inhumanly treated for a mistameaner when there are MURDERERS who get to sit in a nice air-conditioned room and eat food that isnt moldy and spoiled. Some one tell me how is that fair? How is it fair that my boyfriend has to sit in the heat and eat food that people wouldnt even feed to an animal for a probation violation that he couldnt help and some child molester or rapist or murderer gets to sit in a nice air conditioned place and eat food that may taste gross but at least isnt going to poison them? Thats pretty intersting if I may say so myself.

In reading this thread I noticed one common theme. Both the former residents of the "tent city" and the relatives of those now there have displayed a deep seated aversion to EVER having to return there.

In my opinion, the purpose has been served. The lives of those residing there, during there residence, were made SO miserable that NOT one of them wants to return. Very effective. The next time one of these people decides to have a few beers and walks to the parking lot they will think VERY VERY hard about putting the key in the ignition. The same for those that have committed other violations.

Its jail. Not a hotel room, not a nice apartment. The very problem with recidivism is that in most county jails/prisons life is made so easy for the inmates they could care less about returning. 3 squares, a bed, television with cable, air conditioning etc. in many, many facilities. Things many hard working, honest, law abiding people don't have consistently. So, they continue to offend and if caught, no big deal.

I guess for Sheriff Joe's guests it is not the same. They don't want to go back - ever. Mission accomplished.

I lived in Arizona myself. It does get pretty hot in the summer. I guess Sherriff Joes Tuna salad sandwiches don't keep very well do they?

BTW, DUI isn't a minor crime. Many people are killed each year as a result. Your attitude indicates you could care less about real victims.

Truthfully, people in jail are pieces of crap. They didn't get there by mistake. Even people who haven't been convicted DO belong there. Something like 99% of all people accused of a crime are guilty of the crime they charged with. Acquittals are not the result of innocence, typically they are the result of a technicality in the prosecution. So although someone may not have been found guilty, it's a pretty safe bet that they committed the crime and deserve to be in jail.

The fact that one person dies per month is disturbing. I would hope it would be a lot more.

So really, I could care less if your boyfiend expired at Tent City and the buzzards picked his bones clean.

It would make the world a better, safer place.

I read the following: "The tents are joke. I had access to anything I wanted. Cigarettes, Illegal drugs, pain killers, anything. Its the most lax jail in the country, not the toughest." This greatly upset me.

If that's true, Sheriff Joe needs to toughen the conditions more! If you received one thing you considered "comforts" it's one thing too many! Illegal drugs? Sounds like 15 days was too short -- you need a few years in a real prison. Since this is 3 years later, that may be where you are right now.

Sheriff Joe had said something like, "I may not be able to keep you from committing a crime, but I can keep you from doing it again in my county." And that is why he's reelected again & again. It will be a sorry day when he's no longer on this earth.

So sick and tired off reading this thread of hatred and spied when nobody gets the point. No surprise that people that “done there time and therefore paid there dead to society” are not making it on the outside. That is where recidivism comes from. I sympathize with all the people that are victimized irrelevant for what crime or violation under the law.

It is NOT the DUI charges or consequences thereof. This man is expressing the extreme deplorable conditions in this tent city jail. Therefore I strongly agree with Tim.

Under the law the Sheriff has the responsibility to protect the Safety, Rights, and Freedom of the people in that county like everywhere else. Tent City does not deter crime, and there is no evidence to support the exertions that it does deter crime. Further, Arpaio shows he lacks Law Enforcement experience and does not statutorily understand his responsibility to protect the Safety, Rights, and Freedom people have under the 8th amendment which include the people in that county that are incarcerated.

“Tough on crime” does not mean being callous, inhuman, or violating civil rights. And this Sheriff is breaking the law. Arizona Court of Appeals Opinion, September 2002: "The sheriff admitted knowing about, and in fact intentionally designing, some conditions at Tent City that created a substantial risk of inmate violence."

Further, excerpts from the Arizona Court of Appeals hearing indicate the Court upheld jury verdicts of an earlier Arizona Superior Court Hearing in the case of Flanders vs. Maricopa County. In court, Arpaio testified that he didn't know anything about the constant fights or contraband. The jury didn't believe him. Jurors found, and the Appeals Court affirmed, that Arpaio is guilty of "deliberate indifference" to the conditions of his jail –a violation of Federal law. By law, the Sheriff is responsible for county jails. Because the judgment against the Sheriff was for constitutional Violation (Eighth Amendment) committed in his official capacity, the County is liable as a matter of law.

Since this County of Maricopa has a 5 million dollar lawsuit insurance deductible they couldn't afford these lawsuits for very long.

This Sheriff is giving every man and woman in law enforcement a very bad rap. The Mann and Woman that are taking pride in reinforcing the laws of the land with respect and dignity every day without corruption or violation just like the man and woman in uniform that are fighting for this country everyday.

Logic tells me, if this tent city jail is such a good solution to the problem then we would have it implemented all across this country. The lawsuits and endeavor of people trying to rid themselves of people abusing there professional position like Sheriff Arpaio sure tells a different story.

Despite ALL the negative assertions regarding the "tent city" by those posting here who have either experienced personally or have friends/relatives who have done so there is a common underlying thread:

NOT ONE OF THEM WANTS TO RETURN AND WOULD DO ANYTHING TO REMAIN OUT OF THE TENT CITY!

Ironically, this is one purpose of incarceration. To make the life of those incarcerated unpleasant, deny common freedoms, and ensure they do not want to reoffend and return. The average career criminal begins with small crimes, finds the punishment is not extreme and eventually repeatedly reoffends or graduates to larger crimes.

Most, even having been in an actual prison, have little problem with returning. Why? They know that prison overcrowding will often lead to early parole, drugs and alcohol are readily available in most prisons, and they are able to expand their criminal contacts and knowledge while inside. They simply aren't bothered by returning.

The tent city is apparently so uncomfortable, that this is not the case with most offenders. More power to Sheriff Joe.

Much like the 3 strikes laws in many states, this is an effective deterrent.

I don't know if I have ever heard of a jail that serves filet mignon. I don't know if I have ever heard of a jail that serves wine with dinner. Just the word jail, it scares me. Think about it. Bars, cells, lockdown, and bad food and dirty bathrooms. THAT'S WHAT A JAIL IS. The taxpayers pay enough to keep the inmates or shall we say in some cases tenants roofs over there heads. May not be the greatest, but half of the inmates in jail don't deserve anything more. As for the dui driver in this case. You got caught. You did your time. Jail is not supposed to be a vacation. Just think of it this way. To post something like this on this website is a waste of time. Are you a taxpayer? Here is one for you to post. Attention. Millions of taxpayers getting ripped off every year keeping prisoners happy in jail. I just don't understand this country any more.

Don wrote…and I cannot agree with your point regarding taxes.

Yes, someone breaking the law shall be punished by law which includes among other methods incarceration. We have many nonviolent drug and alcohol offenders incarcerated. People with a problem of addiction committing unlawful offenses to feed there addiction and they have no perspectives when released with a record for life.

Many states have no help such as housing or employment in place and the majority will be send back to prison due to technical parole and probation violation since they could not comply with obtainment of such.

So, it is a revolving door that is using the taxes that you and many others pay again and again. Further, human discrepancies cannot be weight in the mighty dollar but effective after programs will help. After all it has taking 50 years to acknowledge that alcoholism is an illness. Now science is finding the same connection regarding addiction to illicit and prescription drugs.

I am NOT saying it is ok to drive drunk, steal from your friends and love ones, and lose everything in life due to addiction but I face reality. The reality to find a loophole in the system to make it a bit better for the people released stone could sober to make it on the outside. As long as these changes not taking place the system welcomes your taxes for a no win situation.

You can get a dui for a lot of things that are not dangerous to others. For example you can get a dui riding a skateboard while being intoxicated. Dangerous to you maybe, but hardly to others. You can get a dui for sleeping in your vehicle (all of these examples are if you have been drinking ok) you can get one for being within 50 feet of your vehicle, with your keys on your person. Riding a bike, skateboarding, etc should all be considered drunk in public, but you can get a dui for it. Not exactly felony behavoir.

Point being, not everyone who has gotten a dui before is some horrible person drinking and driving at the risk of everyone on the road. And for those who say I don't drink and drive, or I don't get drunk and drive I just want to say- If you have ever had a few drinks and then drove anytime in the next 6 hours you are likely just as guilty as MANY of the people who do get duis. Many people who think they have waited long enough to drive WOULD be convicted of a dui had you been tested. You can easily blow a .08 if you have had one or two drinks in the past 2 hours. Obviously it depends on the person. I blew a .038 after 1 small sip of alcohol (and then the cops showed up so that was ALL I had) and 2 hours of waiting before they gave me the breathalizer.

And whether you believe it is fair or not, all americans are entitled to certain rights. There are absolutly innocent people in jail, not all of course, but yes they do exist. Just because a jury or judge believed them to be guilty doesn't mean it's true. Just unfortunatly the way it works. I can think of at least one time in the past century that innocent people were locked up for crimes they DID NOT commit. Years later they were found to be innocent. Did they deserve an eye for an eye? It's a great concept, but can't always be given out fairly.

Sorry this was just my thoughts regarding many of the things first said in this report.