April 7, 2008 5:11PM 

# Hell-hole 

By [Tim Lynch](https://www.cato.org/people/tim-lynch) 

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Unable to post bail for a robbery charge, a nineteen year-old man spends his days and nights in the city jail awaiting his trial. Then his [mentally deranged cell mate beats him up and rapes him.](http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/17346544.html) Prison guards rescue the man *after dithering for two hours.*

Some people believe that prisons are *supposed to be hell-holes*. That will help to discourage bad people from commiting crimes in the first place. Wrong. Some people need to be incarcerated, but they don’t deserve to be brutalized.

More [here](https://www.cato.org/2008/02/04/forced-nudity-and-detainee-abuse/) and [here](https://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=6884).

##### Related Tags 

[Constitutional Law](https://www.cato.org/constitutional-law), [Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies](https://www.cato.org/robert-levy-center-constitutional-studies) 

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