Jails aren’t nice places. Indeed, too often they are worse than they should be.

We put people in jail to punish them. The punishment is meant to be limited to taking away freedoms, while also providing a safe, basic, place to live. We often don’t invest sufficiently in the system such that the living conditions within the jail become part of the punishment. That is wrong. A prisoner isn’t entitled to a pool or movie theatre, but a prisoner is entitled to safe, clean, living conditions with a modicum of respect for his or her humanity. But whatever the conditions may be, they are not “nice,” and they are the same for everyone.

It is that “same for everyone” thing that has put so much white entitlement on display with the MAGA insurrectionists and their reaction to being arrested and punished. These are supposed to be “good people,” you see? They are not the ones who are supposed to go to jail and when they do, they want organic meals and, apparently, special accommodations:

Meet Federico Klein, who, according to Politico, “is charged with several felonies, including interfering with police during civil disorder and obstruction of an official proceeding. Klein had worked as a researcher for the conservative Family Research Council and was a Republican state convention delegate in Virginia, according to his LinkedIn page. He also served in the 2016 Trump campaign and was a Trump State Department appointee.

Perhaps Klein believed his “good” background entitled him to make a special request from the judge:

“Magistrate Judge Faruqui is reading Klein the charges now. Notes that obstruction of Congress charge carries a 20-year max, assaulting police [with] dangerous weapon also 20-year max,” Politico’s Josh Gerstein reported Friday.

“I’m wondering if there’s a place I could stay in detention where I don’t have cockroaches crawling over me while I’m trying to sleep,” Klein told the judge.

This is not a good strategy. One is far better off asking the judge about ankle monitors and pledging to work through any bail restrictions the judge might consider.

No one wants to sleep with cockroaches climbing all over them, but the complaint screams out that Klein believes he deserves better than the “other people” in the jail. He does not. It is very possible that the entire jail population deserves better, almost likely. But Federico Klein believes that he is above the others in the jail who may have some DUIs or drug dealing charges. Klein did nothing more than attempt to overthrow the government and stop the steal. How can that be against the law?

Cockroaches would make just about anyone scream, but this situation screams white entitlement and there is a lot of it going around with the MAGA insurrectionist.

Klein complains about the jail conditions. 'I’m wondering if there’s a place I could stay in detention where I don’t have cockroaches crawling over me while I’m trying to sleep,' he says. Unclear where he is, but may be the MPD central cell block.

— Josh Gerstein (@joshgerstein) March 5, 2021

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Peace, y’all
Jason
[email protected] and on Twitter @JasonMiciak