[ilbegone]

I have no sympathy for genuine criminals such as the notorious Charles Manson, nor for terrorist and racists. Nor do I give any credence to propaganda, and screw Soros in the arse with a sticker bush.

There would be no cell phones or drugs in prison if it weren't for custodial complicity, and prison life isn't a paradise of merely lounging around all watching Tv. There are custodial abuses in jail - neglectful medical attention is just one of many - as well as a predatory environment and prison gang terrorism.

However, "tough on crime - lock 'em up and throw away the key" rhetoric sells politicians to the electorate, the various district attorneys' offices seem bent on prosecuting the innocent as well as the guilty, and members of the correction officer's union make it big on what is becoming just one more form of human trafficking.

The court system would collapse in California without the revenue generated by "infractions", in which the court serves both as judge and jury with financial and political considerations compelling the judge to be prosecutor as well and conviction a near certainty.

We need a just legal system in our country, not a corrupt conviction mill that panders to politics and is concentrated on revenue.