America's Toughest Sheriff follows the popular and often-controversial law enforcement figure, Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Arpaio presides over Maricopa County in Arizona, the fourth-largest county in the U.S. This documentary takes you inside his no-nonsense approach to incarceration. His well-known deterrents include tent cities housing over 1,000 inmates, old-fashioned prison stripes complete with standard issue pink underwear and female chain gangs. The media-friendly Arpaio has received high praise for his unorthodox methods and purported tax-saving measures. But, not everyone is pro-Joe. Civil rights groups, including Amnesty International, have expressed outrage over jail conditions and complaints of alleged inmate abuse. Others question the staff's potential misuse of stun guns and pepper spray and the practicality of his 3,000 member volunteer posse. Love him or hate him, Joe Arpaio is toughest sheriff in the West. |
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