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Overcrowded jails and shrinking budgets equal early release for prisoners in most communities. Not so in Maricopa County, Arizona, where Sheriff Joe Arpaio houses inmates in surplus army tents dating from the Korean War. And while summer temperatures in the desert can reach 120 degrees, Sheriff Joe reasons that if the tents were good enough for the troops of Desert Storm, they are good enough for convicted criminals.
America's Toughest Sheriff is an unfiltered account of Sheriff Joe's "get smart and get tough" approach to jail. He believes that criminals should never live better in jail than they do on the outside.
Called the "Alcatraz of Arizona," the Tent City Jail features discipline, hard work, and a total absence of frills. By eliminating coffee and feeding convicts sandwiches at lunch, Arpaio has shaved $500,000 annually from the cost of keeping prisoners. And that's only the beginning of the changes he has initiated on his way to achieving an 85 percent approval rating from his constituents.
Citizens of the Phoenix area rave about Sheriff Joe's common-sense approach to crime, and about his creative ways to save taxpayers money. More than 2,500 residents have volunteered for his posses, performing duties from rescuing lost hikers to patrolling the malls during the holidays. His innovative leadership in law enforcement is rooted in more than 30 years' experience as a federal drug enforcement agent when he fought the drug trade in Turkey and Central America.
