Samantha Lachman writes Rick Perry Says Texas Won't Comply With Measures To Reduce Rape in Prison, settling any remaining debate remaining over whether or not Texas Governor Rick Perry has a conscience, any compassion, or respect for the law. He said it would be "impossible" for Texas to comply with new measures.
In a letter sent to Attorney General Eric Holder on March 28, the governor wrote that though the intention of 2003's Prison Rape Elimination Act is "commendable," the Department of Justice's rules to implement the legislation are "unnecessarily cumbersome" and "counterproductive."
The DOJ's rules address widespread sexual assault in prisons by imposing requirements such as separating teens from adults, eliminating cross-gender pat-downs in teen and juvenile units and allotting more staff to juvenile facilities. The federal government spent 10 years soliciting input from experts as to how to best implement the law.
Perry argued that the DOJ's rules wouldn't be feasible in Texas, because the state -- unlike the federal government -- considers 17-year-old inmates to be adults rather than teens. The governor wrote that it would be too expensive to separate those younger inmates from other adult prisoners, and that the cost of adding more staff would be "unacceptable" in smaller counties. ...
Lachman tells us that, Just Detention International, says Texas "puts the safety of thousands of people at risk" and "ignores the overwhelming evidence of a human rights crisis in Texas prisons, " and sites 2013 Bureau of Labor Statistics reports singing out Texas detention centers, more than any other state, for having "having high levels of inmate-on-inmate sexual abuse." And, that is just what is reported.
Lachman also tells us that previous studies have estimated that the 1 in 8 junveniles in detention suffer sexual assault, and LGBT youths are 10 times more likely to be victims. How sad.
It seems that Rick Perry can miss no opportunity to play "GOP political limbo" to see - "how low can he go?" How proud he must be to show off American values to other countries around the world, giving new meaning to the idea of the example of American inspiring other countrie with our values, like the "shining city on the hill," not that we would expect him to have any idea of what that allusion refers to - "it's one of those book type thingies, Rick."
As soon as we think he has truly hit bottom and can go no lower, he surprises with his depravity by plunging to a new depth, for little reason. This action will not save his state money but in fact, risks Texas losing Federal funds.
Often, he hides behind the idea that he does and says these kinds of mean spirited, unlawful, and un-Christian things because he is just not bright enough to know any better, but in this case his advisers have had plenty of time to explain it to him. I'm afraid we have to face the truth that apparently, Rick Perry derives some kind of sick sadistic pleasure out of causing suffering to those who can not protect themselves and shocking the rest of us by showing us what a truly heartless sociopath he truly is. And, the voters of Texas have reelected him several times so they are letting us now how they chose to express Christian charity and compassion, and the American rule of law in Texas.