tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4937285970642106606.post1263833733874645564..comments2024-03-27T20:47:32.937-04:00Comments on Morton's Musings: The real lesson from Ashley SmithJames C Mortonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15997892627068235554noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4937285970642106606.post-70855793519180748782012-11-02T13:57:35.071-04:002012-11-02T13:57:35.071-04:00I wonder, though, what causes people to dehumanize...I wonder, though, what causes people to dehumanize others. Comparing guards to Nazis and slave owners id grossly unfair. These guards are simply people, too, and put in a situation where they have to deal with extremely - and I mean EXTREMELY - difficult people. They have invented spit hoods because the prisoners spit, and the RCMP officer was afraid of being bitten almost assuredly because he had been bitten. When you are making a modest income and your job is dealing with these abusive individuals, and you are expected to take the abuse because prisoners face few consequences for bad behaviour, how long will it take before you really begin to hate the people you deal with? Fear and hatred lead to dehumanization. Can you really blame the guards or the police for feeling the way they do given the abuse they are forced to deal with? How often can you be splattered with urine and feces, or face an inmate with an potentially AIDS infected needle without changing inside? The turnover among guards is high so the questions might be "what kind of individual stays?" If the good people leave in the face of the abuse and the bad ones stay what do we really expect will happen?<br /><br />Prisoner advocates have done a great job making prison a better place for inmates but who is advocating for the guards? Where are the videos of the abuse guards deal with daily? We never see that, do we?<br /><br />My brother is in the RCMP and he told me once that new officers come in with ideals and desire to help but they are quickly disabused of that notion. The people who would appreciate their help don't need it and the ones who do need it don't want it and will violently work against anyone trying to help. This is the way it really works and no amount of Pollyanna-thinking will change that. We need to work within the realities of the situation and not the ideals the wannabe-helpers at the Elizabeth Fry society would project on it.The Rathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00762317244980526077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4937285970642106606.post-25061985403663903082012-11-02T10:57:12.462-04:002012-11-02T10:57:12.462-04:00That prison guards sometimes abuse inmates is old ...That prison guards sometimes abuse inmates is old news. Nobody in the system cares. At least not enough speak out. Only when links to videos graphically depicting the abuses are placed on the front pages of major newspapers do the punishment industry's stakeholders engage in their obligatory hand-wringing (and but-covering). That said - it would be interesting - even illuminating - to hear more about the specific involvement of doctors (below) and their contribution to this travesty. <br />..............<br />Broadening the inquest’s scope moves the inquest into the territory of “political crusade,” said lawyer Mark Freiman, representing doctors Carolyn Rogers, Loys Ligate, Sam Swaminath and three other out-of-province physicians who are not named.<br />Toronto Star<br />Ashley Smith: Graphic video shows teen duct-taped while being transported<br />Published on Wednesday October 31, 2012 Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4937285970642106606.post-58971452536393566082012-11-02T01:25:03.491-04:002012-11-02T01:25:03.491-04:00Yes, seeing a bit of the videos, I was reminded of...Yes, seeing a bit of the videos, I was reminded of the Zimbardo / Stanford Prison Experiment<br /><br />http://www.prisonexp.org/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com