Joe Arpaio with Len Sherman

About the author: Joe Arpaio is the elected sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona. Prior to that he was a federal drug enforcement agent for almost thirty years, working undercover in Turkey, South America, and other locations.

Jail should be uncomfortable, though not unsafe. Under Sheriff Arpaio's jail program in Maricopa County, Arizona, inmates do not have access to frills such as coffee, cigarettes, and most television. Some prisoners live in tent cities in the Arizona desert, which reduces costs for housing, and almost all prisoners work. These measures are needed to make jail an adequate form of punishment.

While the tents [housing for inmates] are the most substantial and visible part of our jail program, they do not stand alone. Other measures also embody my philosophy of making the entire Maricopa County jail system less...