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TIME: Almanac 1993
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TIME Almanac 1993.iso
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121090
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1210108.000
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1992-08-28
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NATION, Page 47American NotesPRISONSCrime Does Pay
Fast-buck artists take note: get yourself arrested in New
York City, and you could be $150 to the good if you're kept in
the slammer for a night without proper amenities. That is
precisely how much U.S. District Judge Morris Lasker last week
ordered the city's correction department to pay every suspect
kept for more than 24 hours in a holding pen that rates below
minimal standards. The unusual decision culminates more than
a decade of feuding between Lasker and the city over the
condition of its jail cells, many of which do not have beds or
toilets and sinks.
Correction officials admit to sanitary violations but claim
there is little they can do. They contend that the jail
population is subject to sudden surges in arrests and note that
the opening of a new 850-bed facility is running behind
schedule. "Paying arrestees $150 is outrageous," said city
council president Andrew Stein, "and rewards potential
criminals."