Kathy Shayna Shocket has the inside scoop on the stories that make headlines.
Kathy reports on why Sheriff Joe Arpaio welcomed PETA and Pamela Anderson into his jail.
It certainly could have been a special episode of the “Odd Couple!” An actress who’s graced the cover of Playboy Magazine at least five times and had her pornographic video leaked on the internet...palling up with very conservative Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
Well, Pamela Anderson’s new bob hairdo is more conservative these days. But, that’s not what brought them together. It was vegetarianism. Pamela, an avid PETA supporter, teamed up with PETA to praise Sheriff Joe for serving up the nation’s first all-vegetarian meals in the nation’s jails.
The Sheriff says that it will save taxpayers money. But Pamela and PETA’s Senior Vice President, Dan Mathews are applauding it from the animal rights perspective. Dan Mathews who has worked successfully with the Sheriff prior on Arizona factory farming legislation, says he hopes Maricopa County’s initiative will be a role model for prisons and jails nationwide.
In light of Sheriff Joe’s being in the spotlight for controversial anti-immigration sweeps and accusations of racial profiling, some are criticizing PETA. And ironically, on the very same day, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals announced the federal judge's ruling against the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office in a racial-profiling case.
However, Dan Mathews stresses that PETA was there strictly for the menu program. Pamela Anderson says that, “Jails are full of people wanting to change, to make amends, to learn healthier habits and understand compassion and empathy.” As captured in these great photos from photographer Emma Dunlavey, they helped dish out meals to the inmates and then toured Tent City.
Pamela Anderson, a vegan, has fought internationally for animal rights, including on the frontlines for the Sea Shepard Conservation in protest of the brutal slaughter of whales and dolphins
By the way... The jailhouse menu? Inmates are being served up a peanut butter sandwich with oranges and some crackers for brunch and a hot meal of different vegetable and soy dishes for dinner.
Stay tuned.
Kathy Shayna Shocket is a freelance Writer and TV-Field Producer based in Phoenix, AZ. She’s a former TV Reporter who’s also written for national publications such as TIME Magazine, MONEY Magazine, PEOPLE Magazine, the Hollywood Reporter and The NEW YORK TIMES. She can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
