The Burqa Lady is in the news again. This time, she and her lawyers have turned to the Red Cross demanding their assistance. They petitioned the Red Cross saying her conditions in prison in Israel are reprehensible and they have despaired of the situation.

Some interesting points made in the petition on her behalf are:

• She is imprisoned by herself for over a year in a small room with no ventilation, while she clothes herself in multiple layers, her body is inflicted with wounds and she refuses to have them treated by a doctor because of tzniyus issues.

And whose fault is this? She refuses to be treated for her wounds and she is blaming the Israeli prison system for this? she has no air, yet she wears multiple layers of clothing - take off a layer or two. How can they possibly air out the room enough for her with her wearing 7 layers of clothing?

• The children have petitioned the authorities saying their mother is mentally unstable and that is why she abused them, and she needs rehab not prison.
  

I don't know what right they have to make such a demand. Sure she needs rehab and I hope she gets it. but they have no right to demand that she not be punished for her crimes against them and against society. She has to sit in jail, and also she needs rehab.

The prisons are not really rehabilitation centers, and that is a shame. Many prisoners would benefit more from being in a rehab center and getting treated for whatever their problems are rather than being in prison.
But when a crime is committed, prison is the punishment even if it does not necessarily provide the rehab, unfortunate as it may be.

I wonder if petitioning the Red Cross has a din of being a moser. Maybe because the prison services and courts are not frum, perhaps there is not such an issue.

(source: ynet)