Prison Problem

Former Catholic priest and convicted child abuser John J. Geoghan was beaten to death in prison over the weekend. Geoghan, accused of molesting as many as 150 boys as the Church turned its head, was a horrible human being who took advantage of his position in a spectacularly disturbing and grotesque manner.

His death, however much it may seem like justice, showcases a different sort of problem: the inability or unwillingness of US prisons to control their populations. Both Geoghan and his neo-Nazi assailant were in protective custody. If guards can't safeguard such prisoners, they cant' really be said to be running the joints.