Joseph M. "Joe" Arpaio is the six-time elected sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona. You probably know him as “America’s Toughest Sheriff,” a name given to him years ago by the media.
With over five decades experience in law enforcement, Arpaio knows what the public wants, “The public is my boss,” he says, “so I serve the public.”
The Sheriff has get tough policies in place. For example, he banned smoking, coffee, movies, pornographic magazines, and unrestricted TV in all jails. He has the cheapest meals in the U.S. too. The average meal costs between 15 and 40 cents, and inmates are fed only twice daily, to cut the labor costs of meal delivery. He even stopped serving them salt and pepper to save tax payers $20,000 a year.
In addition to these tough measures, the Sheriff has launched rehabilitative programs like “Hard Knocks High,” the only accredited high school under a Sheriff in an American jail, and ALPHA, an anti-substance-abuse program that has greatly reduced recidivism.
Derek and Sheriff Joe discussed implementing the T.A.S.K program in Maricopa County. The Teaching Awareness to School Kids Program is a joint effort between OffenderWatch and local School Boards and law enforcement designed to engage students to deliver brochures to parents at home with the message that “Notification Is Prevention”. To learn more about the T.A.S.K program visit http://offenderwatchinitiative.org/Donate/TASK-Program