U.S. Detention Centers In Iraq Filling To Capacity

[chlamor]

U.S. detention centers in Iraq filling to capacity
Pre-election arrests and new offensives swell the prisoner ranks

EDWARD WONG, New York Times



March 4, 2005, 12:51AM


ABU GHRAIB, IRAQ - The American military's major detention centers in Iraq have swelled to capacity and are holding more people than ever, senior military officials say.

The growing detainee population reflects recent changes in how the military has been waging the war and in its policies toward detainees, the officials say.

The military swept up many Iraqis before the Jan. 30 elections in an attempt to curb violence and halted all releases before the vote. Other detainees have been captured in ambitious recent offensives across the Sunni Triangle, from Samarrato to Fallujah to the Euphrates River Valley south of Baghdad.

The Abu Ghraib abuse scandal also forced changes in the system, with the military working quickly last summer to try to weed out detainees who obviously did not belong in prison. Many of the ones remaining are more likely to be denied release by review boards, military officials say.

As of this week, the military is holding at least 8,900 detainees in the three major prisons, 1,000 more than in late January. Here in Abu Ghraib, where eight U.S. soldiers were charged last year with abusing detainees, 3,160 people are being kept, well above the 2,500 level considered ideal, said Lt. Col. Barry Johnson, a spokesman for the detainee system. The largest center, Camp Bucca in the south, has at least 5,640 detainees.

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/world/3067776

[Tempest]

1. No surprise

It's the same thing Bush is doing over here.

U.S. prison population always increases under Repug administrations.

Mostly with non-violent, victimless prisoners like those convicted of minor drug possession.

[OneBlueSky]

2. wonder what percentage of these detainees are . . .

completely innocent of anything . . . BushCo seems to have a penchant for imprisoning people on mere suspicion, flimsy evidence, or just someone's say-so . . . it's happening in Iraq, and it's happening here . . .

[NNN0LHI]

3. When do we start calling them reservations? n/t