Inmates At This Jail Get Shorter Sentences In Exchange For Getting A Vasectomy

[Shoonra]

33. This makes me uneasy.

This is not a repeat of Buck v. Bell -- there is no evidence that the prisoners or their children are or will be geneticially inferior. Statistically most prisoners are black, so the purpose of this legislation is to sterilize lots and lots of black men. The supposition is that the prisoners will return to prison, not particularly optimistic -- so sterilization is being pushed on the first offense.

Catholic prisoners will probably refuse sterilization - and be made to serve longer prison terms for adhering to their religion. Probably the same can be said for Orthodox and Hasidic Jews, Amish, and great many others with religious scruples about contraception. So there are serious Constitutional issues involved here. Unmarried men who come out of prison may have trouble forming long term relationships leading to marriage, since they cannot father children, and this may affect their chances at rehabilitation.