Published: February 11, 2008 08:11 am            

When I was in a Spanish prison

Larry Jones, Democrat Columnist

The first time I was ever in prison was in April 1972, at the facility located in El Puerto de Santa Maria, Spain. This beautiful little town is near the larger city of Cadiz located on the Gulf of Cadiz in the far south of Spain not far from Gibraltar. The streets are lined with majestic date palms, flowering gardens and ancient stone buildings. Therein, lay the drab stone prison facility which housed the criminal element.

Fortunately, my time in the prison facility was brief and was limited only to a visit to the retail shop where inmates sold their arts and crafts — some of which were quite spectacular. The reason for this store to exist was quite simple — the prisoners, who could produce a saleable product, ate. Those who could not, starved. At the time, Spain was still ruled under the iron fist of General Francisco Franco. He ruled as a “somewhat” benevolent dictator from the time he seized power following the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s until his death in 1975.

This was just after the time when “Slick” went off to England to be a Rhodes Scholar, smoke pot and tour Russia. Good thing he didn’t go to Spain. I don’t think he and Franco would have gotten along very well. Personally, I loved Spain, even under the oppressive conservative hand of Franco. The Spanish people of the southern region were poor, hard-working, and for the most part, incredibly honest. When faced with prison time in one of Franco’s accommodations, the straight and narrow path was easily followed.

Another interesting element of daily life in Spain during this time was the presence of “The Book.” Each merchant or entrepreneur was required to keep a book which clients and customers could demand to see. In it the customers could write complaints regarding service or merchandise. Regularly, Franco’s “Guardia Civil,” or military police for civilians, would review the entries and take appropriate action — at their discretion. This provided great motivation for honesty among merchants.

Another facet of Spanish lifestyle that I enjoyed was the security I felt. Normally, anytime I have traveled outside the countries of the historic British Empire, I have always felt a bit apprehensive about where I went. I never felt a need to feel uneasy at any time of the day or night in Franco’s Spain. It was delightful to stroll the plazas and courtyards of the downtown areas taking in the sights and sounds. There, a person could shop or visit a sidewalk cafe for a snack, a glass of red wine, or a cold cerveza that cost the equivalent of about 3 or 4 cents, American.

Today, I no longer feel this security, even here in Parker County. Why has our lifestyle deteriorated to such a degree? It seems the feral instincts of far too many of our residents and/or citizens are no longer restrained or disciplined by rule of law. Personal greed, addiction, immorality or amorality seems to trump personal restraint and respect for the rights of others. What should we do?

Perhaps a few changes to American prison systems are in order. We could require inmates who have resources to pay for their incarceration. For those who do not, institute the policy of Captain John Smith at the Jamestown Colony — you work, you eat. In this regard, my hero is Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Arizona. Since 1993, he has housed jail inmates in tents, fed them only bologna sandwiches and charged them for meals. He cut out coffee, cigarettes, pornography and television. The ACLU or some such liberal wacko group filed suit and forced him to allow TVs, but he retaliated by limiting programming to religious channels and Disney.

I’m not suggesting that we imitate Franco’s prison system, but I think we should demand that incarceration be viewed as punishment rather than rehabilitation. Make it so bad that no one would consider the possibility of being a repeat offender. In that regard, Franco’s system wasn’t all that bad.

In the meantime, the next time you’re in the Lazy Bend, stop by and I’ll show you my El Greco style oil painting of Don Quixote that I bought in 1972 for two bucks. Never met the guy who painted it, but I’ll bet he ate well for the next month or two.

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Larry M. Jones is a retired Navy Commander and aviator who raises cattle and hay in the Brock/Lazy Bend part of Parker County. Comments may be directed to nowhearthis @pwhome.com. Columns submitted to The Weatherford Democrat by guest writers reflect the opinions of the writer and in no way reflect the beliefs or opinions of The Weatherford Democrat.

        

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