General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Why did the brilliant trained spy ever go to Hong Kong? Why didn't he fly directly to Venezuala [View all]MADem
(135,425 posts)The Army wanted to transfer Manning to the federal prison system because gender reassignment services are available there. Manning, though, asked to stay put.
I can't fault the logic--Leavenworth is very nice, as prisons go. The facilities are not glamorous, but they are clean, modern, adequate to their purpose, and there's none of that prison violence and drama that one sees in civilian systems. Because the prisoners are military personnel, they understand the value of routine and a pecking order and a bit of good order and discipline, how it makes life easier when living in a group for everyone to know the drill and follow it. And, small group dynamics being what they are, it's possible to make friends.
Probably if that kid had a FRIEND while deployed that whole "dump off mindless crap to Assange without reading it" business might not ever have happened.