Judge Sam Benningfield(Image via News 5)When Judge Sam Benningfield of White County, Tenn., offered to shave off jail time for inmates who volunteered for sterilization, a chorus of attorneys, advocates and public officials reacted with horror. Benningfield didn’t immediately respond to a message from The Washington Post seeking comment Monday night. Previously, the judge characterized his highly unorthodox sterilization program as an attempt to help repeat offenders who couldn’t find jobs or afford child support after passing through his courtroom. The judge “flagrantly violated his oath to uphold the Constitution by instituting an outrageous, morally indefensible, and spectacularly illegal inmate sterilization program,” he said. District Attorney Bryant Dunaway, whose district includes White County and Benningfield’s court, was among those who criticized the sterilization program.

Source: Washington Post November 21, 2017 09:53 UTC