Ron Aragon: Conditions at county jail worse than at an animal shelter

In the recent past, I had the opportunity to visit our local county prison, oh excuse me, John Latorraca Correctional Facility on Sandy Mush Road, aka Merced County Jail. The prisoners there sleep on cold steel triple bunks on a pad with no more cushion than a catcher’s mitt. The average child’s bunkbed is only two tiers and has enough padding for a dog at least! The prisoners are not allowed to have needed medications. The “food” usually consists of white bread, low-grade meat, grade school milk cartons and an apple; there is an occasional hot meal, but it’s junk food, mostly. Hygiene opportunities are questionable at best. These are grown humans “living” in less than an animal-shelter environment. Now, just imagine living there for years on end, day in and day out. They have an opportunity to dust and mop their own floors, though.

This story was originally published December 9, 2014 at 12:04 PM with the headline "Ron Aragon: Conditions at county jail worse than at an animal shelter."