I stopped into local Huntington Beach gas station/minimart yesterday and what did I see? It was a new print Publication that had never even crossed my mind. The Jail Report. It sat on the counter with the booking photos of about six Orange County citizens. I laughed because one of the mug shots featured a skinny guy with a big wide smile on his face. He looked like he had just arrived home or was eagerly anticipating his first trip to the shower room…or something. And there was a somber looking middle-aged woman from Newport Beach. Did she get picked up for drunk driving or what?
To tell you the truth, I really didn’t care enough to put down a dollar for a copy of The Jail Report. It said it featured the latest info on child abusers and other criminals. I still wasn’t interested mainly because I already have too much to read. But it did make me think: Is such a thing good, fair? I tend not to think so but it’s now kind of 55-45 in that score. I’ve never been arrested so I’ve never been to jail. But I sure know a lot who have.
I’ve worked here for years as a self-employed protective coating design and applications specialist (painter). There is a higher percentage of former inmates in my line of work—mostly from drinking, drugs and undocumented residency. I’ve heard all of the stories. The worst was a little Salvadorian guy I knew called me and told me how he had been put in solitary at the LA facility because he was overheard talking to one of our black friend in the local LBC dialect. Members of the M-12 gang (also Salvadorian, and very much in the news in those days) got Javier in the shower and almost killed him.
“Jail-birds” get it from the bulk of society for all the well-known reasons. But should we defame them even more through The Jail Report? A lot of these guys would likely consider this a badge of courage.
Anyway, the next thing all of this made me think of was if this is such a good idea; why not have a more upscale version of The Jail Report. I’ve always believed that the corporate criminals—often less painful to individuals—are a much greater threat to society then the street-levels crooks. Would it be over-the-line to have a Should They Be In Jail Report with photos of…say…Wall Street guys? And if so, should they be dressed in pink underwear?