Convicted for masturbating in jail cell

[indra]

This seems excessive to me. The guy has a 10 year sentence -- you mean he's never supposed to jack off? Even if he only serves half his sentence that's five years. He didn't hurt anyone and he was alone in his cell. To me if the guard can't hack seeing that (and let's face it I'm sure she didn't need to watch the whole episode), she should be in another profession. Don't most jails have the commode right in the cell too? Isn't watching someone take a shit at least as disgusting? Sounds like a power trip to me.

So what do you think? Is this something that really should be prosecuted?

FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida - A Florida jail inmate was convicted of indecent exposure after a guard complained that he had masturbated in his cell.

A jury took 45 minutes to convict Terry Lee Alexander, 20, of the misdemeanor on Wednesday. The judge sentenced him to 60 days in the county jail. He had faced up to a year.

In November, Broward County Deputy Coryus Veal, who was monitoring Alexander's cell from a centrally located control room, saw him masturbating while he was sitting on his bunk, alone in his cell. She testified that she brought the charge against him the third time he masturbated in view of her.

Veal has brought similar charges against seven other inmates in six months.

The sheriff's office encourages deputies to file criminal charges to discourage masturbating in the county's jails, said Elliot Cohen, an agency spokesman. He said privacy is one of the rights inmate give up in jail.

Kathleen McHugh, Alexander's attorney, said her client did nothing wrong. She said he was alone in his cell, which was not open to the public.

"I think the government's gone awry," McHugh said. "Has it been a slow year in crime that they've got to go prosecute masturbation in the Broward County Jail?"

During jury selection, McHugh looked at 17 prospective jurors and asked how many among them had never masturbated. No hands were raised.

Alexander was originally brought to jail on an armed robbery case, for which he received a10-year prison sentence.

link

[Lila64]

[CTU2fan]

So let me get this straight...this CO sits around watching cameras hoping to catch some poor deprived dude taking care of business...

Prosecuting this = complete waste of time & money.

[deep]

A jury took 45 minutes to convict Terry Lee Alexander, 20

sounds like if the jury had

visual stimulation

they could have got done quicker than 45 minutes

[indra]

Originally posted by deep

The jury is most certainly liars.

or

he did not have a jury of his peers.

Huh?

[ramblin rose]

Originally posted by deep

The jury is most certainly liars.

or

he did not have a jury of his peers.

Why are they liars? You think the members of the jury have never masturbated in their lives?

[deep]

McHugh looked at 17 prospective jurors and asked how many among them had never masturbated. No hands were raised.

do you really believe out of 17 people

none of them has ever masterbated?



also,
is it possible to find 17 people in one place that have not masterbated

if that is the case

it would be like putting only PETA members on a Laboratory vandalation trial

they are in very untypical and probably believe any and all masterbation is a sin and wrong and should be punished.

If they were all Catholic clergy judging a member of the cleargy I would consider it a jury of peers

[A_Wanderer]

Never masturbated is different than ever masturbated.

[deep]

Originally posted by A_Wanderer
Never masturbated is different than ever masturbated.

thanks I read it

wrong.

[joyfulgirl]

If inmates didn't masturbate, I'm sure there would be more violence and rapes in prison. It's a no-brainer. This is the stupidest thing I've read today.

[deep]

the 60 minute rule

allows me to edit that out

so I will not have to keep responding

for reading it wrong.




I do think this Guard is a bit strange

she has gone after several inmates for this bevavior

Most surveys suggest that approximately 94% of males "admitted" that they masturbated and about 70% of females "admitted" to this also. It’s always hard to establish absolute truth in any survey on sexuality and sexual behavior, since they are influenced so much by what people think is "normal". It is important to note the word "admitted" in the results of these surveys

I stand by my first premise

that this charge and conviction

may be motivated by other factors

[yolland]

Like Deputy Veal being a prude, you mean? That kind of goes without saying, doesn't it?

[deep]

Originally posted by yolland
Like Deputy Veal being a prude, you mean?

How many other guards are bringing these charges?

If one was out in a park masturbating or in a prison yard they should be charged.


If one was in their bed, private room or prison buck / cell masturbating
it hardly seems lude or criminal.


If she were a 'prude' would she be able to tolerate watching the closed circuit feeds of the inmates urinating and showering. I am sure the cameras are on all the time.

[anitram]

Whether or not she is a prude has nothing to do with something we like to call prosecutorial discretion. What a waste of time and $.

[U2democrat]

Originally posted by anitram
Whether or not she is a prude has nothing to do with something we like to call prosecutorial discretion. What a waste of time and $.

mmhmm.

It's stupid and ridiculous.

[shart1780]

Originally posted by CTU2fan
So let me get this straight...this CO sits around watching cameras hoping to catch some poor deprived dude taking care of business...

That sounds really creepy.

[Carek1230]

What a waste of news. Leave the dang guy alone in his cell and so long as he's not bothering anyone else let him do what he wants to.

[Hinder]

Are you kidding me? I mean, come on, now. I understand it's jail, and it's supposed to be punishment, but how is punishing him for masturbation really solving anything? Really? It's not a crime, man - the crime is this silly woman standing there watching him and whining that he's doing it. Walk away, you idiot, walk away.

[BAW]

Okay...fact of life. Men in prison masturbate. They also use the toilet and shower in full view of the officers assigned to guard them. If you can't handle what you see in a men's prison, you shouldn't be working there.

[bonocrazy88]

That is so ridiculous. We are convicting men for masturbating longer than we are convicting men for raping children? I guarantee some rapist got off with a slap on the wrist somewhere in the US today while this poor man is going to be spending 10 more years in prison for playing pocket pool.