That's Just What They Need

Waiting for a visit at the federal correctional facility in Florence earlier today, I noticed a poster on the wall. Maybe it’s been there for a while, but I’d never noticed it before. It’s a black poster that says “ZERO TOLERANCE” in big, neon green letters. Next to that, I noticed it said something about suicide prevention. I quickly realized it was a poster informing viewers that the facility had a zero tolerance policy when it comes to suicide.

There must be something wrong with me, as I found the poster amusing. It took me a second to put my finger on just why that was. Maybe CCA intended to have zero tolerance when it comes to employees who facilitate suicide among inmates, but if it’s like any other big, oppressive company or government entity, the burden of any zero tolerance policy is going to fall squarely on the shoulders of people the policy is intended to help.

It really is a perfect example of zero tolerance thinking in action. Only when government is involved, directly or indirectly, would anyone think that taking caged, hopeless, mentally ill people and making their lives suck just a little bit more using stupid policies and intolerance is a good way to cut down on the suicide rate.