From: "Ian Farquhar" <ianf@simple.sydney.sgi.com>
Date: Wed, 31 Aug 94 15:34:35 PDT
To: cactus@bibliob.slip.netcom.com (L. Todd Masco)
Subject: Re: Government and Repression
In-Reply-To: <199408312115.OAA22404@netcom8.netcom.com>
Message-ID: <9409010829.ZM645@simple.sydney.sgi.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


On Aug 31,  2:15pm, James A. Donald wrote:
> To put this proper perspective you should remember that the
> US has the most pleasant prisons in the world.

On whose reconning?!  At the very least, the US is one of the largest users
of capital punishment - including being one of the few countries where
children can be tried as adults and executed - which sounds very comfortable
to me.  And let's not forget the rather unpleasant physical and sexual
assault statistics which are noticed in prisons worldwide, which includes
the USA.

> In most of the world, indiscipline and bad behavior in the
> prison will get you beaten, unofficially in Australia, officially
> in Japan.  (Yes, *corporal punishment*, gasp, oh the horror).

Want to back this up with some reliable references?  I am very aware of
the criticisms of the Australian prison systems, and would be the first
to agree that massive reform is needed.  But I have never seen reference
to this, and don't believe that it would be possible to supress it in
this circumstance.

						Ian.