THE MAINE STATE PRISON HAS DECIDED TO END A POLICY THAT
FORCED FEMALE VISITORS TO TAKE THEIR BRAS OFF IF THEY
WANTED TO SEE AN INMATE.
YES, THAT WAS AN ACTUAL POLICY THAT THEY HAD, AND THEY
REVERSED IT AFTER THEY GOT ENOUGH COMPLAINTS ABOUT IT.
APPARENTLY THEY WOULD DO SO BECAUSE THEY WERE WORRIED THAT
WOMEN WERE HIDING SOMETHING IN THEIR BRAS IF THEY WOULD GO
THROUGH THE METAL DETECTOR AND IT WOULD BE.
THEY WERE THINKING, THESE WOMEN ARE PROBABLY HIDING
SOMETHING, CONTRABAND, WHATEVER IT IS.
SO A NUMBER OF WOMEN WERE COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS.
ONE OF WHICH WAS STACY VENABLE, WHO SAID, "THERE'S A LINE I
DON'T CROSS, IT'S CALLED INTEGRITY.
I'M NOT TAKING MY BRA OFF TO GO INTO AN ALL-MALE PRISON."
ANOTHER WOMAN SAYS, "IT'S NOTICEABLE.
YOU'RE EXPOSED AND YOU'RE IN A ROOM WITH SEX OFFENDERS AND
PEDOPHILES.
IT'S EMBARRASSING AND IT'S SCARY."
INCREDIBLE THING ABOUT THIS IS THAT LESS THAN A DOZEN WOMEN,
HALF A DOZEN WOMEN CAME FORWARD AND COMPLAINED ABOUT IT, AND THE
COMMISSIONER OF THE PRISON, JOSEPH FITZPATRICK, REALIZED
THAT THIS IS A CRAZY POLICY, AND HE DID DECIDE TO REVERSE IT.
HE SAYS, "PART OF THE WAY YOU CHANGE CULTURE IN AN
ORGANIZATION IS YOU SET THE TONE, LEAD BY EXAMPLE AND
YOU ADDRESS THINGS.
ADDING THAT WHILE THE PRISON CAN'T SACRIFICE SAFETY, IT
CAN INSURE IT IN A WAY THAT BALANCES THAT IT ñ
BALANCES THAT OBJECTIVE WITH HUMAN DECENCY AND RESPECT."
I WANT TO GIVE FITZPATRICK ALL THE CREDIT IN THE WORLD,
BECAUSE IT'S NOT LIKE THIS WAS A NATIONAL HEADLINE AND THERE
WAS ALL THIS NEGATIVE PR AND PEOPLE WERE ATTACKING HIM.
HALF A DOZEN WOMEN COMPLAINED ABOUT IT AND HE WAS LIKE,
YEAH THIS IS ACTUALLY PRETTY CRAZY.
WE ARE VIOLATING INNOCENT WOMEN WHO WANT TO VISIT THESE INMATES.
2 THINGS ABOUT THIS, ONE IS THAT SOMETIMES THERE'S A DUAL
PURPOSE.
ONE IS THAT YOU'VE GOT SOME LINEAR OF A REAL REASON TO
DO IT.
YOU COULD BE A METAL LINING IN A DRAWER OR THEY COULD SNEAK
STUFF INTO A BRA.
AND THEN THERE IS THE REAL REASON, WHICH IS, WE WANT TO SEE
THEM WITHOUT THEIR BRAS.
THEY MIGHT BOTH BE REAL, BUT YOU CANNOT DISCOUNT ONE OF THEM.
FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN WE WERE DOING WIRETAPPING IN A RACK, AND
THE NSA AND THE CIA TOLD US, DON'T WORRY, IT'S JUST TO
CATCH TERRORISTS.
THEN IT TURNS OUT WE WERE SPYING IN ON OUR OWN TROOPS AND
LISTENING IN ON THEIR PHONE SEX CALLS.
YES, THE ORIGINAL REASON WAS PROBABLY TO CATCH TERRORISTS,
BUT WHEN YOU LET A HUMAN BEING RUN A PHONE TAPPING PROGRAM,
THEY ARE OBSESSED WITH SEX AND THEY'RE ONLY GOING TO LISTEN IN
ON YOUR PHONE CALLS.
LIKE THEY SAID, IT'S ONE TO BE EMBARRASSING IN THIS CASE
AND THERE WILL BE PEOPLE LEERING, NOT THE PRISONERS
BUT THE GUARDS AS WELL, BECAUSE THEY ARE ALL HUMAN.
BUT THE SECOND PART OF THIS IS THAT THERE ARE SOME LINES WE
SHOULD NOT CROSS, EVEN IF IT RESTS ñ
EVEN IF IT RISKS A CERTAIN OUTCOME THAT IS NOT GREAT.
IF NOT GREAT TO HAVE CONTRABAND SNUCK INTO PRISONS, THAT
SUCKS, I GET IT, I KNOW WHAT YOU WANT TO FIGHT THAT.
BUT I'VE SEEN THE MOVIES, IT TURNS OUT YOU CAN ACTUALLY
SNEAK IT IN OTHER ORIFICES OF YOUR BODY.
WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO?
BEFORE ANYONE COMES IN, YOU'RE GOING TO INSPECT IN THAT WAY?
BY THE WAY, FOR WOMEN AND MEN, A LOT OF TIMES IT'S IN THE
ANUS.
IS THAT HOW YOU WOULD INSPECT?
LIKE THIS?
I'M JUST SAYING, I'VE SEEN GERMAN FORM.
YOU COULD DO THAT, I GOT CONTRABAND COMING IN THIS
PRISON, BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY WE GOT TO STOP THAT.
NO, OF COURSE NOT.
THERE ARE SOME LINES YOU SHOULD NOT CROSS.
I THINK IT'S IN EVERYONE'S BEST INTEREST TO PROVIDE AN
ENVIRONMENT THAT PROMOTES SAFETY, AND SO IN THIS CASE
THEY WANT TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE IS SAFE, WHATEVER IT IS.
BUT DON'T BE SO WILLING TO GIVE UP YOUR PRIVACY AND SOME OF
YOUR FREEDOMS IN THE NAME OF SAFETY.
WE'VE ALREADY DONE THAT WHEN IT COMES TO AIR TRAVEL FOR
INSTANCE, AND BY THE WAY THE TSA IS NOW PUSHING FOR ADVANCED PAT
DOWNS AS A UNIVERSAL METHOD FOR SCREENING PEOPLE.
I VOTE NO.
THAT SOMETHING YOU SHOULD KEEP IN MIND, AND THE WAY THAT
POLITICIANS OR PUBLIC FIGURES TRY TO GARNER PUBLIC
SUPPORT FOR THAT TYPE OF STUFF IS BY SCARING YOU AND
MAKING YOU THINK THAT WE ARE DOING IT FOR YOUR PROTECTION.
BUT NO NO NO, THEY ARE DOING IT TO VIOLATE YOU AND TAKE
AWAY YOUR PRIVACY, SO DON'T LET YOUR PRIVACY GO SO EASILY.
IN THIS CASE, THINK ABOUT HOW GRACIOUS THIS IS.
THEY CAN ABOUT HOW CRAZY IT IS HAVING A BUNCH OF MALE
GUARDS TELLING YOU YOU HAVE TO TAKE YOUR UNDERWEAR OFF
BEFORE GOING IN AND SEEING A LOVED ONE.
ON THE ADVANCED PATDOWN'S, THEY ARE VERY INVASIVE.
I TRAVEL ALL THE TIME, I DON'T WANT A PLANE BLOWING UP, I'M IN
THE AIRPLANE.
SO I THOUGHT EVERY INCENTIVE OF THE WORLD ñ IN THE WORLD TO
MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE DOING EVERYTHING THEY CAN FOR SAFETY.
BUT CHECKING EVERYBODY'S CROTCH WITH THE BACK OF YOUR HAND IS
WAY TOO FAR!
WAY TOO FAR.
I DON'T KNOW.
THERE HAS GOT TO BE SOME BOUNDS OF REASON.
ANA AND I HAVE BOTH COME AT DIFFERENT TIMES, HAD
ADVANCED PATDOWN START THEY ARE NOT PLEASANT.
ALSO, IT'S A GIANT INVITATION TO PERVERTS.
LIKE THE SANDUSKY'S OF THE WORLD WHO GO AND FIND HELPLESS
CHILDREN, AND PRETEND TO HELP THEM WHILE TARGETING THEM.
WHEN YOU SAY, YOU GET TO TOUCH EVERYBODY'S CROTCH AT THE
AIRPORT, WHO DO YOU THINK IS GOING TO APPLY?
SO, DEFINITELY NO AND I'M GLAD THEY GOT RID OF THIS.