micdotcom:It’s 120 degrees in Phoenix — and inmates at a local jail have to sleep outsidePhoenix is
micdotcom:It’s 120 degrees in Phoenix — and inmates at a local jail have to sleep outsidePhoenix is in the middle of a devastating heat wave. Temperatures nearing 120 degrees grounded flights on Tuesday, and physicians are warning of health risks associated with the heat.But for some inmates in Maricopa County, there is no other option but sleeping outside, even during a heat wave.In 1993, former Maricopa County Sheriff and controversial Donald Trump surrogate Joe Arpaio erected “Tent City,” an outdoor jail complex where inmates were housed in Korean War-era tents and forced to endure the harsh desert weather as part of their sentence, the New York Times reported. Arpaio once referred to Tent City as a “concentration camp.”In April, Arpaio’s newly elected successor, Sheriff Paul Penzone, announced that the Tent City complex would shut down after years of criticism from human rights advocates. But months later — even after reports that Tent City had been dismantled — there are still inmates forced to sleep outside in tents even as the temperatures soar. Read more (6/20/17) -- source link
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