Public defenders at Chicago's Cook County Jail pushed to breaking point over inmates masturbating in front of them

It's League of Shadows time for Chicago yet again at Marathon Pundit.

"The League of Shadows has been a check against human corruption for thousands of years. We sacked Rome, loaded trade ships with plague rats, burned London to the ground. Every time a civilization reaches the pinnacle of its decadence, we return to restore the balance." Ra's al Ghul in Batman Begins.

Keep in mind that these public defenders are there to help these scumbags.

From the Chicago-Sun-Times:

Staffers in the Cook County Public Defender's Office are used to clients who may have done horrible things, but over the last two years, female employees say their clients have become more brazen in doing horrible things right in front of them.

Masturbating inmates have become a common sight on the walk to and from holding cells where defense attorneys meet clients, and at the jail and in courthouse lockups. Last week, in a letter to Chief Judge Timothy Evans, Public Defender Amy Campanelli said her staff has reached a breaking point.

Campanelli declined to share a copy of the letter, but confirmed that she warned the judge that her staff won't visit the jail starting Nov. 6 unless he or Sheriff Tom Dart can offer up a solution.

Pretty horrible stuff to be sure. But the public defenders have a way to fight back against the vermin--if they choose.

But they don't.

More...

Campanelli said that, on principle, public defenders couldn't support legislation that upgraded a misdemeanor to a felony. Female staffers say they face a similar dilemma when deciding whether to press charges after one of their clients pulls out his penis. The additional charges add potential jail time for their clients, and forces defenders to hand off the case to another attorney.

The state Public Defenders Association and the Illinois Sheriffs Association say that no other jails have the problem on the scale of what is happening at Cook County Jail. That doesn't shock me.

Chicago is the seat of Cook County and the jail is on the city's Southwest Side.

And your humble blogger, a lifelong resident of Cook County, pays taxes to support that jail and the public defender's office.

Should I stay or should I go?