8 July 2011

John Harrington complaining about the cold in prison

| johnboy
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The Canberra Times reports that well known identity in Canberra business circles, John Harrington, was the subject of Wednesday’s intricate police operation with substituted substance importation.

But it seems he is not well pleased by the hospitality on offer from ACT Corrections while he is held on remand.

Defence lawyer Kamy Saeedi said there would be no application for bail until today.

He said his client – who was dressed in a prison jumpsuit – had not been provided with adequate clothing, in breach of his human rights.

Mr Saeedi said Harrington had endured ”freezing” conditions in the cells.

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Canberra Times – a newspaper that is always first to call the pot black. As for do-gooders who have never been defrauded – your turn real soon.

Just think – if your attacked in a slum without a good reason for being there then you could be sitting in the cell next door for the 2.5 years it will take to clear your ‘good name’

Violet68 said :

LSWCHP said :

Violet68 said :

KaptnKaos said :

Mr Gillespie said :

This communist state is too interested in the welfare of its criminals (even convicted murders beyond any hope of redemption) to care much about the DECENT members who have to work hard to pay taxes to line the luxuries of these air-breathing monsters.

+Lots, should also be air-thieving.

If it were a Communist state we would all be entitled to the same amount of air. Everyone would be regarded as equal (decent) – except perhaps serial killers, bourgeois christians, anti-revolutionaries aka capitalist pigs ready to take advantage of those less fortunate in order to line their own pockets and consume everything in sight. Actually that might be considered a crime and they would all be executed or put in prison to freeze their little pink bottoms off. I can imagine the cries for human rights, singlets and socks then (quite vividly actually)!

Oh dear…..another perspective

It might be a perspective, but it sure doesn’t make any sense.

Keep up the good work. Quality gibberish like this is becoming harder to find with every passing day.

Yes, that’s a great tactic. Poke fun at something you don’t understand. I’m surprised you haven’t tried to correct my spelling or grammar. Very clever.

Yes, I thought it was pretty clever too. Poking fun at that nonsense seemed like the only reasonable thing to do at the time.

As for correcting your spelling and grammar, I don’t that’s a worthwhile endeavour, so I won’t go there.

It’s not really your poor use of English that bothers me though. It’s more the ongoing and comprehensive lack of thought or wit in your writing.

LSWCHP said :

Violet68 said :

KaptnKaos said :

Mr Gillespie said :

This communist state is too interested in the welfare of its criminals (even convicted murders beyond any hope of redemption) to care much about the DECENT members who have to work hard to pay taxes to line the luxuries of these air-breathing monsters.

+Lots, should also be air-thieving.

If it were a Communist state we would all be entitled to the same amount of air. Everyone would be regarded as equal (decent) – except perhaps serial killers, bourgeois christians, anti-revolutionaries aka capitalist pigs ready to take advantage of those less fortunate in order to line their own pockets and consume everything in sight. Actually that might be considered a crime and they would all be executed or put in prison to freeze their little pink bottoms off. I can imagine the cries for human rights, singlets and socks then (quite vividly actually)!

Oh dear…..another perspective

It might be a perspective, but it sure doesn’t make any sense.

Keep up the good work. Quality gibberish like this is becoming harder to find with every passing day.

Yes, that’s a great tactic. Poke fun at something you don’t understand. I’m surprised you haven’t tried to correct my spelling or grammar. Very clever.

Violet68 said :

KaptnKaos said :

Mr Gillespie said :

This communist state is too interested in the welfare of its criminals (even convicted murders beyond any hope of redemption) to care much about the DECENT members who have to work hard to pay taxes to line the luxuries of these air-breathing monsters.

+Lots, should also be air-thieving.

If it were a Communist state we would all be entitled to the same amount of air. Everyone would be regarded as equal (decent) – except perhaps serial killers, bourgeois christians, anti-revolutionaries aka capitalist pigs ready to take advantage of those less fortunate in order to line their own pockets and consume everything in sight. Actually that might be considered a crime and they would all be executed or put in prison to freeze their little pink bottoms off. I can imagine the cries for human rights, singlets and socks then (quite vividly actually)!

Oh dear…..another perspective

It might be a perspective, but it sure doesn’t make any sense.

Keep up the good work. Quality gibberish like this is becoming harder to find with every passing day.

KaptnKaos said :

Mr Gillespie said :

This communist state is too interested in the welfare of its criminals (even convicted murders beyond any hope of redemption) to care much about the DECENT members who have to work hard to pay taxes to line the luxuries of these air-breathing monsters.

+Lots, should also be air-thieving.

If it were a Communist state we would all be entitled to the same amount of air. Everyone would be regarded as equal (decent) – except perhaps serial killers, bourgeois christians, anti-revolutionaries aka capitalist pigs ready to take advantage of those less fortunate in order to line their own pockets and consume everything in sight. Actually that might be considered a crime and they would all be executed or put in prison to freeze their little pink bottoms off. I can imagine the cries for human rights, singlets and socks then (quite vividly actually)!

Oh dear…..another perspective

Mr Gillespie said :

This communist state is too interested in the welfare of its criminals (even convicted murders beyond any hope of redemption) to care much about the DECENT members who have to work hard to pay taxes to line the luxuries of these air-breathing monsters.

+Lots, should also be air-thieving.

Mr Gillespie2:23 am 11 Jul 11

This communist state is too interested in the welfare of its criminals (even convicted murders beyond any hope of redemption) to care much about the DECENT members who have to work hard to pay taxes to line the luxuries of these air-breathing monsters.

Cells in AMC have heated floors, it was one of the problems that delayed its opening, as it was not working properly, but, after 3 months spent rectifying the problems all was good.Now all the dodgy residents of AMC can enjoy what many of us don’t have in our homes.:) need I say about Entertainment rooms with Xbox 360’s and PS3’s?

Mental Health Worker said :

JohnBoy was probaby misled by the CT stating he was being dressed in “a prison jumpsuit” when it seems likely it was a police jumpsuit. Corrective Services doesn’t send people to court in jumpsuits – they wear either their own civilian clothing or in prison clothing. Sit in court for a day (which any member of the public can do) and you’ll see this.

Good post. Also, ‘clients’ in the watch house can normally keep their own clothes, except on the occasion that they (a) are going to hurt/attempt suicide with the clothes, or (b) the investigating officer wanted to seize the clothing as evidence, which I would suspect was the case for Mr Harrington.

Mental Health Worker8:57 am 09 Jul 11

Violet68 said :

MHW how do you know about the heating and cooling of AMC cells?

There are many ways to know, if you wanted. Perhaps I or a family member have been imprisoned there, perhaps I work there or have worked there, or know someone who does, or perhaps I or someone I know was involved in building it.

Regardless, I was simply pointing out that JohnBoy’s reporting of the Canberra Times article was mistaken – JohnBoy assumed the defence was talking about the AMC when our criminal justice system operates in such a way that Mr Harrington had not yet been to the AMC. JohnBoy was probaby misled by the CT stating he was being dressed in “a prison jumpsuit” when it seems likely it was a police jumpsuit. Corrective Services doesn’t send people to court in jumpsuits – they wear either their own civilian clothing or in prison clothing. Sit in court for a day (which any member of the public can do) and you’ll see this.

So simple mistakes by the CT and JohnBoy create a completely irrelevant thread about whether the AMC is heated or air conditioned.

Clothing, because it brings with it dignity and perceptions that someone is “a prisoner”, is actually an extremely important Human RIght – in some places unconvicted prisoners are allowed to wear their own clothes in prison, in recognition of the concept of “innocent until proven guilty”. Prison clothing was one of the major factors behind the IRA hunger strikes in Northern Ireland in the 1980s, in which 10 hunger strikers died. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1981_Irish_hunger_strike

MHW

grunge_hippy8:32 am 09 Jul 11

PrinceOfAles said :

My heart bleeds for him. If he wanted to be warm he should have kept himself out of the AMC.

so that whole “innocent until proven guilty” thing isn’t your bag?

it has been damn cold the last few nights. accused criminal or not, you’d hope there was adequate provisions.

BimboGeek said :

Well I would hope it’s air-conditioned because it was FREEZING last night! I needed two heaters, a thick doona and a cuddle to keep warm. It’s not cool to mistreat prisoners, and they have a special duty of care to anyone they suspect might be withdrawing from drugs. Plus he’s not a young guy, you don’t see him wandering around in a t-shirt during winter!

If he’s lucky he might get a “cuddle” to keep him warm too.

PrinceOfAles12:30 am 09 Jul 11

My heart bleeds for him. If he wanted to be warm he should have kept himself out of the AMC.

Well it isn’t air conditioned, but it is a constant 23ºC. That and you get a mattress and a couple of blankets. Poor darling just has a soft constitution, better suited to a drugs-funded life of luxury, me thinks.

just deny him bail, and give him a blanket. I’m sure the other prisoners will make him feel welcome hearing of his special treatment

MHW how do you know about the heating and cooling of AMC cells?

WonderfulWorld10:40 pm 08 Jul 11

Whatever, the accused was cold. I have a heater and a doona and was cold. Some people don’t have even this, some people’s rent says they have heating and it is broken, let alone the “homeless”. Accussed or innocent, really, ITS JUST COLD!

To be fair I don’t suppose anyone here, myself included, truly knows what the conditions at AMC or the watchhouse are at night. I would imagine that even Mental Health Worker who posted previously doesn’t spend a lot of time in these places overnight. As BimboGeek pointed out it has been bloody cold and I do know of a few guards (interstate) who take great pleasure in making life difficult and uncomfortable for the crims. I wonder if AMC screws would be any different?

Mental Health Worker8:22 pm 08 Jul 11

There’s a problem with this post – it reports on Mr Harrington’s first appearance in court. So the previous night was spent in police custody, not in the AMC. So it’s the Watchhouse that was cold, not AMC.

Most AMC cells are not air-conditioned, but do have heating.

MHW

BimboGeek said :

…you don’t see him wandering around in a t-shirt during winter!

well, no, not now… 🙂

Well I would hope it’s air-conditioned because it was FREEZING last night! I needed two heaters, a thick doona and a cuddle to keep warm. It’s not cool to mistreat prisoners, and they have a special duty of care to anyone they suspect might be withdrawing from drugs. Plus he’s not a young guy, you don’t see him wandering around in a t-shirt during winter!

Well, drip me in honey and throw me to the lesbians.

He should be told it’s not the destination………………………it’s the journey!!!

Ha. Rubbish. Freezing my foot. Some of these lawyers are ridiculous the way they’ll grasp at tiny straws to try and winkle their clients out of it. I bet that jail is air-conditioned within an inch of its life.

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