[danielf]

Originally Posted by Derek S

I think thats the most important factor. If the re-offending rate is significantly lower than more relaxed regimes it shows something is working.

According to TheDaddy (post #20) reoffending rates under this regime are as high as elsewhere. I don't know where he got his info from though.

Edit:

Some feel that Sheriff Arpaio's actions are based less on a desire to serve the public and to lower crime, but more on demagoguery and grandstanding that hurt the public welfare. Amnesty International issued a report critical of the treatment of inmates in Maricopa County facilities[10]. Criticism has resulted due to lawsuits filed against the sheriff’s office by family members of inmates who died in jail custody and in high-speed pursuits involving deputies. The lawsuits have cost Maricopa County more than $30 million in settlement claims.[11] By mid-year 2007, more than $50 million in claims had been filed against the sheriffs office and Maricopa County.

Furthermore, in a 1998 Arpaio commissioned study, Arizona State University Criminal Justice professor Marie L. Griffin found that Arpaio's policies did nothing to reduce recidivism in the Maricopa County facilities compared to his predecessor: "there was no significant difference in recidivism observed between those offenders released in 1989-1990 and those released in 1994-1995."[12]

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