This is what privatization gets you

This is what you get when you privatize government services. But, you Republican, Tea Party, Trumpery wackos are all onboard  as evidenced by Tom White's, Paul Mattson's, and other Republicans' callous comments:

Wow. Longest story I have
By TOM WHITE, Community Member, Jay — Sun, 03/26/2017 - 07:22
Wow. Longest story I have ever read in the SJ. Now let's hear from their victims.

My guess is they won't avoid
By PAUL MATTSON, Community Member, Harrison — Sun, 03/26/2017 - 05:55
My guess is they won't avoid the justice system process again.

You must be proud.  

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Caged in van No. 1304

Meghan Quinn spent five days locked in a cage in the back of a van, her hands cuffed to her belly, her ankles shackled together.

The van's two drivers carried handguns and Tasers. They spoke little English. They wouldn't stop when Quinn begged to use a bathroom.

When her period started, Quinn was forced to sit in her blood-soaked pants for hours before one of the drivers finally tossed her a pad. She was told to pee in a plastic bag and, at one point, had to use the wrapper from her $2 burger as a toilet in full view of strange men, who, like Quinn, were bound and locked in the back of the van, but not caged.

The stench from her bodily fluids and solids that soiled and matted her clothes made her gag. She vomited repeatedly until her stomach was empty. And she was forced to sit in that, too.

The van drove on.

Read the entire article here.

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Our View: Humiliation, abuse and profit

Meghan Quinn is a thief.

She is also a human being.

Quinn, who has more than a decade of petty convictions and trouble controlling her behavior, was charged with forgery in 2011. She stole $1,800 from her mother by writing checks on Mom’s account.

Had she abided by the terms of a plea agreement, the charge would eventually have been dropped. But Quinn drank alcohol and that deal was rescinded. Her sentence was three months in jail, followed by two years of probation. That probation also had standard restrictions against using alcohol, which Quinn ignored by having a drink. And she violated other terms, such as failing to check in with her probation officer. So, a bench warrant was issued.

When she was located in Florida last fall, Androscoggin County hired a for-profit company to transport her home.

Cost? $1,500.

Quinn’s extradition is not unusual. It’s a routine process across this country to locate, collect and return defendants to answer charges. It’s also a process that needs far greater scrutiny than it gets.

When extradited, a person is in official government custody and all the rights and protections the law affords prisoners must be observed.

When the Androscoggin County Sheriff's Office assigns its deputies to this task, these rights are carefully preserved. But, when Quinn was transported from Florida to Maine last November, her rights were ignored. Her dignity was ignored. Her basic humanness was utterly ignored.

This woman — who deserves the punishment handed down to her by the court for her violations — absolutely did not deserve to be physically, emotionally, sexually and psychologically violated as she was by an agent of the government.

Quinn was transported to Maine by U.S Prisoner Transport, a subsidiary of Nashville-based Prisoner Transportation Services.

Read the entire editorial here.