7 ms·

There is no mention of starvation in the title of the article nor in the text. I'm not sure why it's in the title of the submission. There is a link to a relate

There is no mention of starvation in the title of the article nor in the text. I'm not sure why it's in the title of the submission. There is a link to a related article "2009: Ala. Sheriff Jailed For Starving Inmates". I assume it's the same article referenced in this article: "In 2009, then-Sheriff Greg Bartlett of Morgan County was briefly tossed in jail after acknowledging that he had personally profited, to the tune of $212,000, from a surplus in the jail-food account. Prisoners testified about receiving meager meals." Still, I don't see the justification for the use of the word "starvation" in that context, either.

Antimachides 9y ago
Good of you to stick up for the Sheriffs.
- nck4222 9y ago
  It's not about sticking up for sheriffs. It's about telling the truth without sensationalizing it. What the sheriff did was bad enough, there's no need to embellish.
  - gameswithgo 9y ago
    >there's no need to embellish. You know I feel similarly as you, but with all of the research I have been seeing lately about how propaganda and emotional manipulation are far more effective than facts and reason, perhaps it is the case that to achieve positive change you do need to embellish, or else the forces pushing for negative change, who have no problem embellishing, will win? I don't want this to be true but maybe it is.
    - gravy 9y ago
      >perhaps it is the case that to achieve positive change you do need to embellish No, no, absolutely not in any way at all.
    - npongratz 9y ago
      I don't think ends justify means, noble as those ends might be.
      - frgtpsswrdlame 9y ago
        Surely you must think some ends justify some means. For example I highly doubt you've cut all white lies from your life. What makes the use of embellishment here different?
- smt88 9y ago
  I don't think anyone should be shamed for trying to make a conversation more honest, even if they seem to be serving the bad guy. Criticizing the word usage doesn't tip the scale toward the sheriff much at all.
ransom1538 9y ago
"Starving" probably not. Using expired food, creating gruels, making the inmates sick, forcing inmates to steal food with violence -- is a bit more accurate title. Here is an example Arizona sheriff laughing as he makes inmates rotten food [1]. I would suspect many inmates do begin the starvation process and become violently ill. (NOTE: many of these inmates have not been convicted of a crime, this is county jail). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGLDnRX10gA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGLDnRX10gA
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
smt88 9y ago
"To starve" is sometimes used informally to mean "to withhold food from" without implying a long-term, chronically-deprived condition. I do agree with you, though, that the author shouldn't have used the word.
justinsaccount 9y ago
> "A couple people I knew came through the jail, and they say they got meat maybe once a month, and every other day, it was just beans and vegetables," Qualls told Sheets. "I put two and two together and realized that that money could have gone toward some meat or something."
- icebraining 9y ago
  That hardly implies starvation. It might even be healthier than the typical US diet.
jellicle 9y ago
The provided budget for food is obviously going to be roughly set at the minimum necessary to provide barely adequate nutrition, because that's how legislatures operate. So if most of that money is being stolen by the sheriff, starvation is a perfectly reasonable term to use. Many jails/prisons are spending no more than 50 cents or so per meal, and providing only two meals per day. https://www.themarshallproject.org/2015/07/07/what-s-in-a-prison-meal https://www.themarshallproject.org/2015/07/07/what-s-in-a-pr...
sctb 9y ago
Thanks, we've updated the headline from “Sheriff Legally Profits $750,000 from Starving Inmates” to that of the article. The guidelines ask submitters to please not editorialize like this.
thruthruaway 9y ago
I hope you end in prison like this to spend few years of your life. Shame on you for trying to justifying things like these,even if starvation is not obviously stated. Do you spend $2 a day to feed yourself?

Antimachides 9y ago

Good of you to stick up for the Sheriffs.

nck4222 9y ago
It's not about sticking up for sheriffs. It's about telling the truth without sensationalizing it. What the sheriff did was bad enough, there's no need to embellish.
- gameswithgo 9y ago
  >there's no need to embellish. You know I feel similarly as you, but with all of the research I have been seeing lately about how propaganda and emotional manipulation are far more effective than facts and reason, perhaps it is the case that to achieve positive change you do need to embellish, or else the forces pushing for negative change, who have no problem embellishing, will win? I don't want this to be true but maybe it is.
  - gravy 9y ago
    >perhaps it is the case that to achieve positive change you do need to embellish No, no, absolutely not in any way at all.
  - npongratz 9y ago
    I don't think ends justify means, noble as those ends might be.
    - frgtpsswrdlame 9y ago
      Surely you must think some ends justify some means. For example I highly doubt you've cut all white lies from your life. What makes the use of embellishment here different?
smt88 9y ago
I don't think anyone should be shamed for trying to make a conversation more honest, even if they seem to be serving the bad guy. Criticizing the word usage doesn't tip the scale toward the sheriff much at all.

ransom1538 9y ago

"Starving" probably not. Using expired food, creating gruels, making the inmates sick, forcing inmates to steal food with violence -- is a bit more accurate title. Here is an example Arizona sheriff laughing as he makes inmates rotten food [1]. I would suspect many inmates do begin the starvation process and become violently ill. (NOTE: many of these inmates have not been convicted of a crime, this is county jail). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGLDnRX10gA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGLDnRX10gA

deleted 9y ago
[deleted]

smt88 9y ago

"To starve" is sometimes used informally to mean "to withhold food from" without implying a long-term, chronically-deprived condition. I do agree with you, though, that the author shouldn't have used the word.

justinsaccount 9y ago

> "A couple people I knew came through the jail, and they say they got meat maybe once a month, and every other day, it was just beans and vegetables," Qualls told Sheets. "I put two and two together and realized that that money could have gone toward some meat or something."

icebraining 9y ago
That hardly implies starvation. It might even be healthier than the typical US diet.

jellicle 9y ago

The provided budget for food is obviously going to be roughly set at the minimum necessary to provide barely adequate nutrition, because that's how legislatures operate. So if most of that money is being stolen by the sheriff, starvation is a perfectly reasonable term to use. Many jails/prisons are spending no more than 50 cents or so per meal, and providing only two meals per day. https://www.themarshallproject.org/2015/07/07/what-s-in-a-prison-meal https://www.themarshallproject.org/2015/07/07/what-s-in-a-pr...

sctb 9y ago

Thanks, we've updated the headline from “Sheriff Legally Profits $750,000 from Starving Inmates” to that of the article. The guidelines ask submitters to please not editorialize like this.

thruthruaway 9y ago

I hope you end in prison like this to spend few years of your life. Shame on you for trying to justifying things like these,even if starvation is not obviously stated. Do you spend $2 a day to feed yourself?