Sheriff Joe Arpaio, America’s Toughest Sheriff
Sheriff Joe Arpaio. When you hear that name, you may be thinking to yourself, "Who is that?" If you are from Arizona or the surrounding states, you probably know exactly who I am talking about. Sheriff Arpaio, or Sheriff Joe as he is more commonly known as around here, is the Sheriff of Maricopa County. He has been labeled by many as "America's Toughest Sheriff". He is known for his hardline stance on illegal immigration as well as the way inmates in his county jail are treated. Although many people don't agree with his approach on illegal immigration, they do agree with the way he treats his inmates. His philosophy is that if you are going to commit a crime and go to jail, you should be treated like you are in jail, not like you are in Boy Scout camp.
Sheriff Arpaio was elected as Sheriff of Maricopa County back in 1992. Since he has become Sheriff, many of his policies that he has put into place have been met with resistance. One of the most controversial topics is his views on how illegal immigration should be handled in the county. Since 2005, he has cracked down on illegal immigration by conducting immigration sweeps targeting day laborers and also businesses and people that hire illegal immigrants. (Bashir & Culhane, 2009). You used to go to the local Home Depot and see 20 to 50 day laborers hanging out in the parking lots looking for work. But since Sheriff Joe started enforcing illegal immigration, the parking lots are now empty. Where there used to be workers waiting around, looking for work, there are now signs that state that hiring illegal immigrants is illegal and you could face jail time if you are found hiring them. He has also ordered his deputies to conduct routine traffic stops so they can check the immigration status of people that they may think are in this country illegally. As of a few months ago, Sheriff Arpaio has temporarily suspended his enforcement of illegal immigration after a federal judge had determined that the sheriff’s department had been racially profiling Latino’s in their patrols. Some of his critics see this as a victory, where others feel that it is a blow to illegal immigration enforcement. (Hallowell, 2013).
The other issue that Sheriff Arpaio has come under fire for is his policies on the treatment of inmates in his local jails. He has implemented the now infamous Tent City, where inmates are housed in canvas tents outside year round. Temperatures can reach up to 135 degrees in the tents during the summer months. Inmates complain about the heat and the inhumane conditions. Sheriff Joe has responded with, “It’s a 120 degrees in Iraq and the soldiers are living in tents and they didn’t commit any crimes, so shut your mouths.” (Shorey, 2003). Inmates in both Tent City and in the jails wear black and white striped prison uniforms and they also wear pink socks and underwear. Jail officials have said that the reason behind the pink and stripes is for better inventory control, while others argue that the sole purpose for making the inmates wear this is to humiliate them. Sheriff Arpaio has stated that inmates are in jail to be punished, not pampered. (Bashir & Culhane, 2009). The food that the inmates eat are meals that consist of food that has been donated to the jails. The inmates get 2 meals a day and if they break any rules and get in trouble, they are required to eat something called Nutraloaf, which is a concoction of canned spinach, beans, bread, tomato paste and raisins. The Nutraloaf may not be the tastiest thing in the world, but it does supply the daily nutrition that is required and also contributes to the 2500 calories per day that the inmates are required to have. Recently, Sheriff Arpaio has decided to charge inmates $1.00 for their meals, to help reduce the rising cost of jail meals. (The Huffington Post, 2013). Inmates are only allowed to watch educational programs in jail, such as PBS and Sesame Street. Sheriff Joe has also banned things such as smoking, coffee, pornographic magazines, weightlifting equipment and movies in all of his jail facilities. In observance of Veteran’s Day, Sheriff Arpaio has placed stickers of the U.S. Flag all over his facilities. If any inmate is caught defacing or tearing up the flags, they will be placed on a diet of Nutraloaf and water. He will also be playing “God Bless America” and the National Anthem throughout the jails public address system. (Fox News, 2013).
Whether you agree with Sheriff Arpaio’s views or not, some of his tactics have probably saved the taxpayers of Maricopa County millions of dollars over his 20 year term. Are his illegal immigration enforcement procedures a bit too much and has he crossed any ethical lines in enforcing those procedures? Perhaps, but every person you talk to will have his or her own opinion when it comes to such a touchy and controversial subject. As for his treatment of inmates in his jails, I would imagine that if you had to spend even a day in one of his jails, you would never want to return. Call it a lesson learned, just like the little child who touches a hot stove, hopefully they will only do it once.

References
Bashir, M., & Culhane, M. (2009, December 14). ABC News. Retrieved from Nightline: http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/sheriff-joe-arpaio-unapologetic-tactics-illegal-immigrant-crackdowns/story?id=9219341&singlePage=true
Fox News. (2013, November 8). Fox News Latino. Retrieved from http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2013/11/08/sheriff-arpaio-punishes-immates-who-rip-patriotic-stickers-with-months-long/
Hallowell, B. (2013, June 7). The Blaze. Retrieved from http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/06/07/ariz-sheriff-joe-arpaio-suspends-his-efforts-to-combat-illegal-immigration-here-are-the-details/
Shorey, A. (2003, July 25). U-T San Diego. Retrieved from http://legacy.utsandiego.com/news/nation/20030725-2230-phoenixheat.html
The Huffington Post. (2013, March 04). The Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/04/sheriff-joe-arpaio-inmates-meals_n_2806388.html