7 Federal Prisons to Get Lethal Electrified Fences (AP-WashPost)

[ovidsen]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/11/AR2005071101282.html

Associated Press
Tuesday, July 12, 2005; Page A19

Seven high-security federal prisons will be getting lethal electrified fences in a $10 million project intended to reduce the number of perimeter guards needed.

The 12-foot-high "stun-lethal" fences, similar to ones used at some state prisons, can be set to deliver a shock if touched once, and a fatal jolt if touched a second time.

(/snip)

Judy Freyermuth of the Federal Prison Policy Project, a nonprofit prison reform group in suburban Atlanta, predicted the hoped-for savings will never materialize.

"How many times have you read of an escape from a federal prison? None," Freyermuth said.

I'm too bemused by this to comment.

[seriousstan]

1. Man Wanted for Escape from Federal Prison

Larry Lee Ballard, 50, was sent to a federal prison in Kentucky to serve ten years on methamphetamine charges. Ballard is an associate of the Outlaws motorcycle gang and is considered dangerous. He has prior arrests for felony theft, aggravated battery, and resisting arrest.

Ballard was convicted in Federal Court in Indianapolis, Indiana for conspiracy to possess and distribute methamphetamine in February 2003. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison and sent to the Federal Prison in Manchester, Kentucky. On October 3, 2003, between the hours of 9 p.m. and 12 a.m., Ballard escaped from the prison in Manchester.

http://www.wishtv.com/global/Story.asp?s=1489228

Judy is sooooo "smart".

[ovidsen]

4. Nice catch!

I thought the claim that no one has escaped from a federal prison was a tad too broad.

"The fences at slated for two prisons in Coleman, Fla., and prisons in Tucson; Terre Haute, Ind.; Hazelton, W.Va.; Pine Knot, Ky.; and Pollock, La.

Wonder if that's the prison getting the fence?

edit to paste in prisons.

[mike_c]

2. they need those prison guards in Iraq....

eom

[Stephanie]

It's the Death Penalty - No Trial Nor Verdict Necessary

Perfect for those Death Cultists

[seriousstan]

10. Attempting an escape from a Fed prison has always been life threatening.

No need for a trial, your actions in reaching a fence erected on top of a 17 foot concrete wall TWICE is evidence enough. You are your own judge juror and executioner.

[tanyev]

3. Holy crap.

Is that in preparation for the librul round-up?

[Mythsaje]

5. Shocking!

Okay, okay...the pun was inevitable.

But it is shocking, nonetheless. That they'd even consider this sort of thing is truly distressing.

[Warren Stupidity]

6. now we can be just like dachau or treblinka

When the heck are we going to wake up?

[TroubleMan]

7. I can see corrupt guards or other inmates throwing somebody up against it.

"He died trying to escape."

That's what they'll say.

I'm not trying to say that a lot of prison guards are corrupt - most are not. However, there are some that are, and it only takes two of them to do something like that.

[Thor_MN]

8. Throwing them over the wall to get to the fence would be as bad

I'm doubting that this is a fence you could walk up to without going over a wall or another fence. It's certainly not going to a fence for the yard. If you are going to go through the bother of murdering an inmate, why not just take them outside the wall, shoot them and be done with it. Or just shoot them and claim that he was going for your gun?

I'm not for or against lethal fences. I think that a bigger concern would be the concept that you can run the prison with fewer guards if you put up some sort of "Dead line."

[seriousstan]

9. The fence is at the top of a 17-foot-high concrete wall

That's quite a throw.

[TroubleMan]

12. Didn't read the article, so that scenario is implausible....but

it's still a horrible idea.

1. Trying to escape prison should not be a crime punishable by death. More time in prison, solitary confinement, reduced privileges, loss of good time, and higher security status are the proper punishments.


2. Less prison guards is a bad thing:

a. Having less guards increases the stress on each individual guard, which leads to bad situations, with not only undue stress, but security lapses. Also, Stressed out guards leads to stressed out prisoners, so it's a bad situation for everybody.

b. Having more guards around means there's less opportunity for corruption and abuses. It's easy to do something bad with just a few people, but it's much harder to make a lot of people complicit and/or silent.

c. If there is a prison riot (a rarity nowadays but still something to consider), there are less guards to quell it or control it.

d. Cutting jobs is always a bad idea. Not only is it bad for the laid-off guard and his/her family, but it's bad for the economy. In the long run it costs us less to have that person federally employed than it does to support him when he doesn't have a job. Higher unemployment also leads to higher crime.

[seriousstan]

13. Didn't read the article, so that scenario is implausible....but...

How many best excuses do you get?

Attempting an escape from a Fed prison has always been life threatening. No need for a trial, your actions in reaching a fence erected on top of a 17 foot concrete wall TWICE is evidence enough. You are your own judge juror and executioner.

[Endangered Specie]

11. Im in favor of this...

as it is, if you try to escape over the fence, your liable to be shot at.