Joe Arpaio Brings a Patriotic Theme to His Jails

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio wants to make his notorious jails more “patriotic.”

He’ll be hanging an American flag in every jail cell, and if a flag gets defaced, the inmate will be restricted to a diet of bread and water.

Ten inmates are already on the new diet because they messed with the flags, ABC 15 reported.

That’s not all. There will also be sing-alongs where inmates will belt out “God Bless America.”

This all comes from the sheriff whose department was found to have systematically violated the constitutional rights of Hispanics.

Phoenix New Times suggests patriotic decor that might have a more practical use in Maricopa jails.

“We were thinking Arpaio’s office should be redecorated with some Constitution wallpaper, like Saul Goodman’s office in Breaking Bad.”

Watch Fusion’s Jorge Ramos interview Sheriff Arpaio here.

Ted Hesson was formerly the immigration editor at Fusion, covering the issue from Washington, D.C. He also writes about drug laws and (occasionally) baseball. On the side: guitars, urban biking, and fiction.