#597 Gripping Story

Recently a young gentleman was awarded an additional term to his jail time. He was in prison for armed robbery and serving ten years for that crime.
The young man was twenty years old.
The additional sentence he received was 60 days.
The authorities fined him 60 days for indecent exposure. Seems the young man was passing the time—alone—late at night on his prison cot. A female prison guard observed him on the closed circuit prison TV system.
He was lonely and administering some personal, um, therapy.
As the young man was amusing himself, the lady prison guard watching on the TV was apparently appalled by the exercises he was doing.
The young gentleman was in the nude. And certain aspects of his exposure the lady in question found indecent.
After his sentence was rendered, the prison spokesperson, one Elliot Cohen, explained that privacy is one of the rights that inmates forfeit. “That’s why there are no doors on the bathroom,” he said, “That’s what jail is.”
So let me get this straight. It’s okay to use the bathroom and it’s not indecent exposure, but it’s not okay alone on a bed.
At what point does the indecent exposure come into it?
As I understand the statute, indecent exposure can involve something as simple as flashing an innocent bystander with a sight of something they are not prepared to witness. It’s the shock value, as it were.
I would think that a prison guard, male or female, would: First, be unshockable in this regard, and second, have the common decency to look away should something of a private nature emerge from the shadows.
I mean, come on, armed robbery is not punishable by self-celibacy.
I’m surprised the charges stood up.
Then again, the whole thing took place in Florida, land of quickie capital punishment and electile dysfunction.
I say, get a grip Florida. This is, hands down, cruel and unusual punishment. Most 20-year-old guys would be earning 60 days every 60 hours.
Looks like this guy’s got a long pull ahead of him.
America, ya gotta love it