Jails, Cell Phones, & Safety

This is rich. First, the Palestinians are protesting the fact that the Israelis are using panes of glass instead of intertwined wire grids to separate prisoners from the their visitors. Apparently, this is some sort of violation of their basic human rights. They should probably hope that they never end up in an American prison - we have been using those glass panes for years.

Now why would the Israelis start doing more to separate the terrorists from the general population? Do the Palestinians believe that these prisoners pose no public safety risk (well, at least to the Israelis)?

Look at this other piece from the same site: Palestinian Prisoner Gets Doctorate On "Tolerance" By Phone.

The new Doctor earned his degree via a cell phone. He dictated the paper to his wife on it. He presented it to the University of Nablus via cell phone.

His wife bought him copies of the thesis, while he was in detention.

Think there isn't a public safety issue here? IMRA points out:

Israeli observers have wondered for years how long it would take prison officials to finally take measures to prevent visiting families from passing on cellular telephones and other contraband to Palestinians being held in jail. The lack of a glass partition all these years has created a situation that terrorists held by Israel were able to continue to maintain essentially constant contact with the outside world - giving orders and even participating in interviews broadcast on Arab radio stations.

The whole point of involuntary confinement is to separate public safety threats from general society. If the smuggling of cell phones allows them to stay in contact with the broader world and allows them to continue to influence events, that is a safety concern.

Israel has every right, actually every responsibility, to install the glass panes. It is a matter of safety for both the public and for the prisoners. The public issue is pretty clear cut, but image what would happen to the prisoners should a weapon or explosive be smuggled in. As long as the prisoners are under Israeli control, Israel has a moral responsibility to show concern for their well-being - no matter how vile the criminals are. If they believe that installing the glass panes furthers that goal, then they need to be installed. There really is no question about it.

And if the Palestinians don't like the glass panes, there is always another option, one that most people choose.

Stay out of trouble.