A measly $6,000?

[cstaylor]

Foreign prisoner wins leather handcuff battle

A former inmate of Tokyo's Fuchu Prison has been awarded 600,000 yen in damages for suffering 18 hours in leather handcuffs, a court has ruled.

The man from the United States, whose name is being withheld, sued the Japanese government demanding 10 million yen in damages for what he claimed was a gang attack on him by warders of the prison

Okay, let me get this straight. A Japanese doesn't offer an apology to a photograph for religious reasons, and gets hit with $50,000 in penalties, but the government's employees use unconstitutional cruel and unusual punishment:

Article 36 [Torture]
The infliction of torture by any public officer and cruel punishments are absolutely forbidden

and the gaijin gets a measly $6,000? In the words of Max Cady from Cape Fear: "Now let's just break that down... why, that comes out to $10 a day... counselor, that's not even minimum wage"

[kamome]

I'd hardly call 600,000 yen a victory, but at least it sends a warning to the police (albeit a very weak warning). I wonder what caused the guy to fly into a rage? Probably non-stop interrogation about the same thing over and over again.

[cstaylor]

I'd hardly call 600,000 yen a victory, but at least it sends a warning to the police (albeit a very weak warning). I wonder what caused the guy to fly into a rage? Probably non-stop interrogation about the same thing over and over again.

You believe that bullshit story from the cops? Come on... that's international cop-speak for "we put him in leather hand-cuffs so he couldn't fight back, and then we took turns beating him".

Remember: there's no educational requirement or psychological test needed for becoming a jail warden... and why else would you become one unless you like hurting people?