Got DUI? Join the Chain Gang and Wear Pink Undies!

Oh noes, pink underwear, that's sure to make everyone toe the line.

I think DUI should be punished by a minimum 2 year jail sentence, 5 year driving ban and period of complete abstinence. Pink underpants and hard labor optional.

Second offense? 5 year jail term, lifetime ban on driving.

Third? Do you really think there'd be a third?

BAC legislation, [MADD founder Candace Lightner] said, "ignores the real core of the problem....If we really want to save lives, let's go after the most dangerous drivers on the road." Lightner said MADD has become an organization far more "neoprohibitionist" than she had envisioned. "I didn't start MADD to deal with alcohol," she said. "I started MADD to deal with the issue of drunk driving."

http://www.reason.com/news/show/122456.html

When in the world did people stop forgetting that prison is for punishment?

No a/c in Phoenix during the summer? Chain gangs? Hurting the prisoners self esteem with pink underwear, bedtime stories, and bologna meals? Boo hoo.

Aside from the underwear, that treatment is not too different from soldiers humping crosscountry in Vietnam or Iraq.

A lot of these weenies attacking Joe need a priority check.

Sheriff Joe is two things.

1. He's a badass law enforcement officer with a long re-election record because he talks tough and enforces the law in tough measurements; Tent City is his brainchild, where short-medium sentence inmates sweat it out in tents outside the jail, are fed bologna sandwiches and water, and yes the pink underwear.

2. He's a politician who waves his prick at the people of Maricopa County in an attempt to look like a badass, and if it backfires on him, he just goes quiet for awhile until his next big prick-wave comes around.

And sometimes, he's just an idiot with a SWAT team at his disposal. http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/2004-08-05/news/dog-day-afternoon/1

I've read about this guy and his methods and I totally agree with this guy on every point. These people who break the law and go to prison live better lives then a good number of people. Whatever stops things like this from happening. This is my story of why I can't stand drunk drivers. When I was in third grade I watched my crossing guard get run over by a drunk driver (she was 5 feet from me when it happened) dragged across the intersection before falling out from underneath the bronco. This guy went on hitting 3 school buses, 2 cars, and a phone pole. I don't want people to have to see these things happen more so for kids to have to see them.

Last thing my crossing guard did not die but I never did she her again. She was a friend to me.

I don't understand why people are being on the side of the prisoners. When you commmit a crime you lose all your rights, in my opinion, until you have been punished. In England prison is seen more as a risk of being a criminal rather than a serious deterrent. In most prisons criminals are allowed to have mobile phones, TV, playstations... they're even allowed to buy lottery tickets now (and one guy in prison actually won). For some people being in jail is better than their normal lives. How is this punishing them?
So kudos to the sheriff for making a stand. I don't know how good the prisons in America are, but any way of making time spent in prison more of a punishment is a good idea in my books.

Women drive drunk, too.

Maybe pink underwear is punishment for he-man types, but it can't be that effective.

Chronic drunk drivers will continue to break the law no matter what colour underwear you make them wear.

Three cheers for Arpaio! Maybe if some of these sob sister ACLU types have a loved one taken by a drunk driver they'll come to their senses. DUI offenders with suspended DLs are terrible recidivists and drastic penalties are appropriate.

There should be a law against STUPID and unusual punishments. Crap like that doesn't solve anything.

Lived in AZ awhile back. Love ya Joe!!!

bars should have built-in breathalysers so you can tell if you're over the limit. That would cut down on a number of DUIs where people thought they were under the limit, but felt sober enough to drive. That's how I got my DUI. I passed the field sobriety tests, but blew a .083, so I spent the night in jail. Wasn't fun, don't plan on doing it again, but I wouldn't have driven if I'd known I was over .08.

joe arpaio is one of the most disturbingly fascistic people in america today; if you want to see why, look here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Arpaio#Controversy_and_criticism

the man has understanding of the US constitution, just his mostly useless and frequently illegal punishments.

what happened to the idea that prison was for rehabilitation?

oops, no understanding*

Pink underwear?
Oh, because encouraging prison rape is a greeeaat idea. Yeesh. Cruel and unusual punishment anyone?

Currently living in Arizona, I know this is nothing new. We also have a lovely establishment called Tent City which is a jail made with you guessed it... Tents. You must remember that it gets up to 118 here in the summer. I addition to pink underwear and all of that he also employed prisoners at the humane society which saved alot of money. Joe's alright in my opinion, but a showboater.

Arpaio is a self aggrandizing petty tyrant. This stuff isn't new. He's been pulling stunts like pink underwear, green bologna, chain gangs, and tent cities for years now. Always with the cameras trained on him. Yet, for being such a tough guy, he can't seem to handle any criticism, and whose authoritarian hand isn't limited to convicted criminals.
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/2007-10-18/news/breathtaking-abuse-of-the-constitution/
Forunately, someone saw Arpaio's stunt for the complete BS it is.
http://www.villagevoice.com/blogs/runninscared/archives/2007/10/the_charges_are.php

I hate how this scumbag always seems to shine the spotlight on his pink underwear wearing inmates almost as if THAT where the most abusive thing he does to them! Southern AZ is NOT a good place to be messing around with forcing inmates to live in tents with the temperatures down here. and bologna sandwiches by themselves are a good path toward malnutrition. but he hes part of the good ole boy network and can do no wrong right? btw I live in Tucson and have never been in mr Arpio's care

This guy is great. I think I've heard him say once that why do we treat the criminals better then the soldiers in Iraq. They didn't do anything wrong. He is also saving alot of taxpayers money. So all you that are really calling him stupid or an idiot are not think this through. S sit down and shut up.

Sorry forgot to mention that everything he has been doing is all legal. Did you know that the inmates are allowed by law to have tv. He had taken the tv's out then found out about this law so he put them back in but only allow the weather and disney channel.

the end justifies the means. ditto.

ok.. wearing pink underwear and watching the disney channel is more unusual than it is cruel. in fact, i don't think it's cruel at all. especially because dudes wearing pink is not at all a rarity anymore, and seeing their underwear hanging out of their pants is something we see on an everyday basis, criminals and civilians alike.

@Thomas: i agree. if bars had breathalizers or offered a free breathalizer keychain with the third shot, people might take a little more responsibility. my friend got a DWI and wasn't even intoxicated. she had one beer and they didn't make her take the breathalizer. she's on probation and her license was suspended (not sure for how long, though). it's on her record. and she probably wears pink underwear willingly.

a local man is taking our penile system for granted by committing petty theft and turning himself in every time. he has been in and out of jail for years and i bet he doesn't plan on stopping these actions. i can think of no other reason he would do this than the homely environments provided by our prisons. i mean, free room and board, free meals, free clothes... i'm wondering how many criminals commit crimes just so they can go to jail. i'm sure that's why there are so many returning convicts too.

this guy is nothing more than a masochistic human rights offender. really, if he was pulling this form of "justice" in some small country everyone would be crying foul. and really, if his brand of "justice" is working so well, why is tents still full?

@MoonCake: No man should ever take his penile system for granted.

@kid_icarus: I think you mean "sadistic".

I am so tired of the bleeding heart liberals waxing poetic on the poor downtrodden CRIMINALS. They're criminals and none of the above mentioned punishments are abusive in ANY way. Good grief. I think all prisons should be like Supermax. 23 hours a day of solitary.

@fran so 120 degrees in a tent isn't abusive? why don't you try it then if its so great for ya. and don't sling around the term bleeding heart liberal. the word liberal is not an insult so stop treating it as one and if anyone wanted a political argument they wouldn't be on Neatorama