Disgraced sports doctor Larry Nassar stabbed multiple times at Florida federal p

[neurosis]

I'm kinda surprised this hasn't happened sooner.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Disgraced sports doctor Larry Nassar, who was convicted of sexually abusing female gymnasts including Olympic medalists, was stabbed multiple times during an altercation with another inmate at a federal prison in Florida.

Two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press the attack happened Sunday at United States Penitentiary Coleman. The people said he was in stable condition Monday.

One of the people said Nassar had been stabbed in the back and in the chest. The prison was experiencing staffing shortages, and one of the people familiar with the matter said the officers assigned to the unit where Nassar was held were working mandated overtime shifts.

[ghuns]

[YoDoug]

I'm not going to defend him, his is a POS. However the fact that these types of stabbings take place quite regularly in prisons is a huge problem. We send those convicted to prison for means of reform. If they live under fear of violence and gangs it can be counter productive to reform.

[neurosis]

I'm not going to defend him, his is a POS. However the fact that these types of stabbings take place quite regularly in prisons is a huge problem. We send those convicted to prison for means of reform. If they live under fear of violence and gangs it can be counter productive to reform.

What's really messed up is that CO's will intentionally lock chimo's up in cells with people they know are going to brutalize them.

I wouldn't stick up for this guy either. Castration is too good for him. But uh, prison isn't about reform in this Country.

[mowens]

I'm not going to defend him, his is a POS. However the fact that these types of stabbings take place quite regularly in prisons is a huge problem. We send those convicted to prison for means of reform. If they live under fear of violence and gangs it can be counter productive to reform.

He is serving a 40 to 175 year sentence, plus, an additional 60 years for possessing 37000 pictures of child porn. Reform is not part of his incarceration. It is strictly to keep him from doing it again.

[YoDoug]

He is serving a 40 to 175 year sentence, plus, an additional 60 years for possessing 37000 pictures of child porn. Reform is not part of his incarceration. It is strictly to keep him from doing it again.

You missed my point. I said if we can't keep convicts safe from violence and gangs then reform is nearly impossible for those that have short sentences. Yes this guy was a POS, but not everyone going into prison is a life long hardened criminal beyond reform. However many first time offenders that are doing short sentences have to join a gang or be victimized while in prison. IMO, prisons should be segregated by length of sentence and severity of crime.

[mowens]

A few months ago, we had a big discussion of whether prison was for deterrence, reform or punishment and lost a valued member because of it.

There are barely enough corrections officers to maintain order. Nobody wants the job.

I have several friends who have spent time in prison, mostly for drugs or crimes committed while under the influence. Nothing kept them out of prison except getting clean.

[Tim Johnson]

There are "light duty" prisons for the non-violent law breakers. I know of two people that left prison as a plumber and a mechanic.

[Jim at Gentex]

There are barely enough corrections officers to maintain order. Nobody wants the job.

Yup.
I have many friends in law enforcement and corrections, and what you said hits the nail on the head. 

[beej]

A few months ago, we had a big discussion of whether prison was for deterrence, reform or punishment and lost a valued member because of it.

There are barely enough corrections officers to maintain order. Nobody wants the job.

I have several friends who have spent time in prison, mostly for drugs or crimes committed while under the influence. Nothing kept them out of prison except getting clean.

A lot of people have opinions on prisons based on speculation, TV, and rumors. I do prison ministry and a lot of what I know comes from the prisoners themselves. But you are right, they have to get clean. They have a lot of opportunity for reformation, but they have to put in the effort to go after it.

when it comes to being able to stab a person in prison, I'll just say, that I am always amazed at how clever the prisoners are, some for the good and some for the bad. If those guys could just focus that cleverness to some useful endeavor, there is no telling what they could accomplish.

[ghuns]

There are "light duty" prisons for the non-violent law breakers. I know of two people that left prison as a plumber and a mechanic.

I know a guy who killed his girlfriend at 20 years old and came out at 35 with an MBA from Ball State.

His degree makes no mention of exactly where he got it. Reads exactly like my son's who went to Ball State.

[gcode]

Back in the early 80's I lived in a huge apartment complex in Orange for about 6 months.
One evening a 12 year old boy knocked on my door selling newspaper subscriptions.
I wasn't interested and he went on his way.
Over the next couple of days there was a story about a missing boy on the news.
I never saw a picture of him and didn't realize he was the boy who came to my door.
They found him dead in the bathtub, raped and murdered 3 doors down from my apartment.
They arrested the guy who lived there and did not put him in protective custody.
He did not survive 24 hours.

[Del.]

Every 2-3 years we have a zoom meeting with the parole board when the 2 guys who killed my mom and stepdad become eligible for parole. So far our input has kept them in prison for 32 years. While our input carries a lot of weight, it is also obvious that they have made little or no effort to improve their chances of parole. They get another 5 years before eligible for parole every time so far. That's where they belong for the protection of society.

[Jim at Gentex]

when it comes to being able to stab a person in prison, I'll just say, that I am always amazed at how clever the prisoners are, some for the good and some for the bad.

Exactly.
Unfortunately, the majority seem to choose the bad.
I have a few thoughts on the subject:
(Sorry for the length of this post, and for the TLDR's, I'm not offended.  )

A buddy of mine who is a Corrections Officer in a state prison near where I live always says these guys have nothing but time on their hands, and many of them spend countless hours just plotting and scheming on how they will get over on another inmate or a CO, if not today or tomorrow, then maybe next week, next month, or next year.

Human nature tends toward an 'us vs. them' mentality, and when people are incarcerated, especially among some violent, dangerous individuals, I think that tendency is magnified even more.

First there is the obvious 'us vs. them' attitude toward the CO's.
They are the ones in charge, so they get the brunt of the anger and frustration of the inmates directed toward them on a daily basis. Then to make matters even worse, if an inmate feels slighted or disrespected by a CO in any way, that CO becomes the specific target of their anger and frustration, so they set about plotting their revenge against that particular officer. So yeah, to Mike's previous point, it is getting harder and harder to find people willing to risk their lives every day as CO's.

Secondly, since human nature also tends to divide along racial and cultural lines, there is also an 'us vs. them' dynamic between those groups as well.  Then those main groups, usually Black, White, Latino, and Asian tend to divide into sub-groups by gang affiliations or other social constructs, so then it becomes 'us vs. them' even within the main groups. Since people also tend toward the principle of strength-in-numbers, most inmates will gravitate toward their own group or sub-group.  Their existence becomes a matter of survival, and many individuals choose to improve their odds by sticking with a group.

Lastly, the one most people don't even think about, is that CO's also develop an 'us vs. them' mentality for the same reasons, survival and strength in numbers.  However, the downside of that is that they often bring that mentality home with them.  After being lied to and plotted against for 8, 10, or 12 hours a day at work, some CO's begin to bring some paranoia home with them and they begin to wonder if their spouse or kids are also trying to deceive them.  This is a real issue for Corrections Officers, and it shows in the statistics that point to an unusually high divorce rate in that profession, somewhere around 75% irrc. Of the 6 or 7 CO's I know personally, only two have been in long-term marriages, and the rest have been divorced at least once, and some several times.  Sadly, many get to the point where they trust their peers more than their families, so their peers become their family.

All that to say that reform is a great goal to set, but the reality for most inmates and CO's, especially in max or super-max security facilities, is simply survival from day to day.

Inmates who can rise above that and achieve educational goals, and CO's who can manage to keep their marriages and families together are to be commended, yet they seem to be the exceptions rather than the rule.

[neurosis]

Lastly, the one most people don't even think about, is that CO's also develop an 'us vs. them' mentality for the same reasons, survival and strength in numbers. 

There is one other category. Some CO's are just unnecessarily a-holes to inmates. That may be part of the us vs them mentality, maybe just a power-complex, but rookie CO's are usually the worst.