Man Jailed for health threat

[TheMercenary]

I hate to see it happen but I fully support it. The guy is now in indefinate detention. CNN ran a piece about it today and they interviewed the guy on the phone.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/condi....ap/index.html

[DanaC]

I can totally see how this might be necessary in order to protect the wider public; however, this bit I found a little difficult to condone:

Daniels has been living alone in a four-bed cell in Ward 41, a section of the hospital reserved for sick criminals. He said sheriff's deputies will not let him take a shower -- he cleans himself with wet wipes -- and have taken away his television, radio, personal phone and computer. His only visitors are masked medical staff members who come in to give him his medication.

To be in solitary confinement is a terrible thing. This man's only crime is not to wear a mask. having accepted that the state needs to secure him somewhere for the protection of the public, how is it that the state is then willing to treat this man worse than your average violent criminal? Why not let him shower? Why take away his radio, his tv and his computer? Why, since he is unfortunate enough to have contracted a virulent and most likely incurable disease, and will therefore possibly be in custody for the rest of his life, is he being denied even those vicarious connections with the outside world?

[xoxoxoBruce]

He contracted a virulent and most likely incurable disease then deliberately brought it to this country from Russia, where he lived with his wife and kids.
You want him?

I don't know why the TV and radio restriction but they would have to build a special shower, then decontaminate the water, to kill the TB before it goes into the public sewer system. Isolating him is the only way to prevent the disease from spreading.

[DanaC]

If he's likely to be incarcerated for the rest of his life (as that artical suggests) then surely expecting him to live out his life washing with fucking wet wipes is a little on the inhumane side? He came back to his home country because when he contracted this dangerous, virulent disease, he was frightened and knew the country he'd been living in would not treat him humanely; he returned to his home country, in the belief that it would be better able to deal with the disease, and more likely to treat him humanely. I very much doubt that he came back believing himself to be incurable, or with the intention of spreading the disease.

The cost of rigging up a specialist shower should not prohibit treating this man (this victim of a horrible disease) humanely. There is no reason whatsoever why he shouldn't be provided with decent facilities to wash himself in, and some kind of entertainment to stop him going fucking mad. He hasn't murdered anyone, he hasn't fiddled any kiddies, what possible rationale could there be for treating him like a fucking animal?

[footfootfoot]

Because he refuses to take precautions against infecting other people. They should in fact treat him not like an animal, but like the selfish asshole he is.

ymmv.

[DanaC]

Are you really saying this man deserves to spend the rest of his life in solitary confinement, with no running water, no tv, no radio, no internet; nothing to remind him that he is still a part of the human race, still connected to the world in some way. The rest of his life. Selfish he may be, war criminal he isn't.

[Clodfobble]

Originally Posted by DanaC

He hasn't murdered anyone...

He tried. He was walking around in public, going to work, shopping, all the while "constantly coughing" and knowing full well he could spread his "dangerous, virulent disease." His excuse?

"I was 26 years old, you know. Nobody told me how TB works and stuff."

Bullshit. He left his wife and kids in another country in order to get treatment. He knew what he had, and that he was supposed to wear a mask.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by DanaC

Are you really saying this man deserves to spend the rest of his life in solitary confinement, with no running water, no tv, no radio, no internet; nothing to remind him that he is still a part of the human race, still connected to the world in some way. The rest of his life. Selfish he may be, war criminal he isn't.

Wait a minute his future has not been decided yet. They have him locked up while they decided if it's worth the risk of him becoming a mass murder...... he certainly has the potential.
He has a lawyer and it will be settled in court. Until there is a decision, there's no reason to build a million dollar facility to house him.
Besides, it's better he stinks, like belling the cat.

You keep saying he came to his home country. We may have a legal obligation to allow him in the country, but it's not his home. His home since he was 11 years old is in Russia, where his wife and kids are.

Actually we don't know if, or how many, people he's already sentenced to death in his travels.

[footfootfoot]

Originally Posted by DanaC

Are you really saying this man deserves to spend the rest of his life in solitary confinement, with no running water, no tv, no radio, no internet; nothing to remind him that he is still a part of the human race, still connected to the world in some way. The rest of his life. Selfish he may be, war criminal he isn't.

Either that, or you could offer to let him live with you. Where's your compassion?

...As a way to remind you that you are part of the human race, we're going to put you in jail so you don't continue to harm the human race of which you are part.

[lookout123]

*flips through constitution*

nope not there

*reads the bill of rights*

nothing here

*checking out ACLU site*

zilch

I'm sorry but I seem to have missed the line about tv, radio, and internet being basic human rights. could you point me in the right direction?

[DanaC]

So you all think it's just fine that someone be left without even basic facilities for washing himself?

[DanaC]

Either that, or you could offer to let him live with you. Where's your compassion?

That isn't an equivalent. I am not advocating letting him go. I am advocating not making his incarceration unnecessarily unpleasant. Tell me what benefit there is in not letting this man have a radio?

[duck_duck]

They should give him a TV, internet and an xBox. He can't spread the TB through any of that and he isn't a criminal.

[Clodfobble]

Originally Posted by duck duck

They should give him a TV, internet and an xBox. He can't spread the TB through any of that and he isn't a criminal.

Who's going to pay for it? Because it's not like they can give it to anyone else once he's done with it, it would all be trash. I'd rather the hospital spend its money on saving lives, not keeping assholes entertained.

Originally Posted by DanaC

Tell me what benefit there is in not letting this man have a radio?

I bet there aren't any electrical outlets in the room at all. And you usually get shitty reception inside a big building like a hospital anyway.

[Happy Monkey]

Originally Posted by Clodfobble

Who's going to pay for it?

Whoever is imprisoning him, of course.