Tuesday March 27, 2001

Cameras in Prison

When most people think of prison, they picture TV shows like "Oz." However, there is now a website where you can go inside a jail. If you want to see what life behind bars is really like, check out this web site - live video, 24-hours a day, from inside the Maricopa County Jail in Arizona.

"Extra's" crime tracker introduces you to legendary tough guy Joe Arpaio. "I decided to do it. I know it's controversial. But we do everything controversial."

Arpaio runs this prison and he was the brainchild who came up with the idea of placing cameras inside the Maricopa County Jail. You can log onto Crime.com and see what's going on inside the men's holding cells or even the women's.

Arpaio says, "Anyone can tune in around the world and see how a person is searched, how that person is fingerprinted, photographed. How they act when they go into a cellblock."

Arpaio has another motivation for the cameras: To stop complaints his guards are abusing the inmates. Joe says, "I must be the most stupid sheriff or politician in the universe, if I'm stupid eno

ugh to let the whole world see what goes on here if I have anything to hide." Arpaio's critics say that stupid is probably one of the nicer words used to describe him. Attorney Leo Terrell believes the cameras is an invasion of privacy. After all, the people in the jail have been arrested but not convicted of any crimes. What does Joe say about his detractors? "If they hate it, I'm going to put more on."

However, blunt, tough talk that has made Arpaio a celebrity. He has been profiled on TV for making inmates wear pink underwear, forming female chain gangs, and forcing prisoners to pay for their unappetizing meals. He says, "I charge everybody a dollar a day."

He's even written a book and while our "Extra" cameras were rolling, he signed an autograph for an inmate. Most inmates told us they don't like the cameras. One said, "It probably gives someone, other people, a good life lesson on what it's like."

Whether Arpaio's putting up cameras out of public service or to serve his own ego, one thing is for sure … he will not back down. "If they don't like it, don't get arrested. It's very simple."