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i went to prison. that's what happens when you get caught smuggling five million dollars worth of coke.
i spent quite a bit of time there (just over seven years, with halfway house - took a drug rehab program to get a year knocked off, and got some good time to knock a ten year sentence down a tad...) and i would like to say that maybe a quarter of the people i was locked up with were ok. the rest? i honestly believe there are people who should be shelved for life. they just don't get it.
i wouldn't wish a day of prison on a decent person who made a mistake. i would throw away the key for most of the people who wind up there.
sorry, i just call them like i see them...
sorry, i just call them like i see them...
Thanks for the honest perspective, HD. So, you're saying 25% fall in the "one bad day" category, and 75% are just plain super-scarry.
Problem is, how do judges and juries tell that 25% when it comes to sentencing?
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sorry, i just call them like i see them...
Thanks for the honest perspective, HD. So, you're saying 25% fall in the "one bad day" category, and 75% are just plain super-scarry.
Problem is, how do judges and juries tell that 25% when it comes to sentencing?
that's the trick, but i'd have to say that raping someone, murdering someone (not in self defence, that is) or molesting kids pretty much disqualifies you from the "bad day" category.
the truly scary people are those that THRIVE in a prison environment. some people just ain't right...
quite a few of the non-violent drug offenders probably fall into the "bad day" category, but, at some point, you have to wonder how many "bad days" a person is allotted before the legal system has to conclude that they just don't get it...
(for the record, i think pot should be legal, stupid to lock people up for that, but the other drugs - well, i have a LOT of personal experience with junkies, and i think they should get rehab twice (sometimes it doesn't take the first time, kicking can be a b!^@#), after that, just lock them up.)
that's the trick, but i'd have to say that raping someone, murdering someone (not in self defence, that is) or molesting kids pretty much disqualifies you from the "bad day" category.
Fair enough!
(for the record, i think pot should be legal, stupid to lock people up for that, but the other drugs - well, i have a LOT of personal experience with junkies, and i think they should get rehab twice (sometimes it doesn't take the first time, kicking can be a b!^@#), after that, just lock them up.)
Yeah, I have serious questions about the illegality of pot.
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sorry, i just call them like i see them...
Thanks for the honest perspective, HD. So, you're saying 25% fall in the "one bad day" category, and 75% are just plain super-scarry.
Problem is, how do judges and juries tell that 25% when it comes to sentencing?
that's the trick, but i'd have to say that raping someone, murdering someone (not in self defence, that is) or molesting kids pretty much disqualifies you from the "bad day" category.
the truly scary people are those that THRIVE in a prison environment. some people just ain't right...
quite a few of the non-violent drug offenders probably fall into the "bad day" category, but, at some point, you have to wonder how many "bad days" a person is allotted before the legal system has to conclude that they just don't get it...
(for the record, i think pot should be legal, stupid to lock people up for that, but the other drugs - well, i have a LOT of personal experience with junkies, and i think they should get rehab twice (sometimes it doesn't take the first time, kicking can be a b!^@#), after that, just lock them up.)
I totally respect what you just owned up to and your points of view. I think going to jail either confirms that you are a criminal or makes you not be a criminal. I went for a much shorter time than you but the result was "I don't wanna do that again" and I stopped my BS life from moving in that direction.
I also am 100% in agreement with pot legalization. If it happened, that day there would be 1 million new jobs in this country. Law enforcement across the country would save between 6 and 10 million a year and tax revenue be around twice that. This is all assuming that it would have the same laws governing usage that alcohol has.Let's go Green, people!
I think it's a fair judgement; nothing more and nothing less. A more reasonable person would have gone to the police and filed a complaint if they thought their stolen property was about to be sold. Rather than holding someone hostage at gunpoint. I'm glad no one got hurt in this instance.
And I think there's been some great, civil discussion on the prison issue here and it's a heartening reminder of why I keep coming back to the messageboards.
I've worked in corrections for 14 years. Over the course of my career, I've work every custody level from minimum to super-max and I've held a wide variety of security and administrative positions.Anyone who stated, "The only thing that separates some people from those in prison was one bad day." would definitely be watched closely. Another phrase bandied about by inmate advocates is, "The only difference between the inmates and us is that they got caught."
Most people are not capable of murder.
Every inmate in prison is there because of a decision that they made. They chose to steal, they chose to rape, they chose to murder, they chose to hurt children. We humans have control over our actions and most of us are not in danger of losing control and committing these monstrous acts. Those people that are unable to control themselves belong in prison. Those people would consider it a bad day if they were caught, but not if a crime was committed.
You might argue that drugs or alcohol caused them to lose control. I will argue that was a choice as well. And I make that argument while I teach substance abuse awareness class.
Anyone who feels they are only one bad day away from kicking in a door and raping/murdering/molesting/or stealing from the unfortunate family on the other side needs to seek psychiatric help immediately.
Prisons are horrible places, because of the horrible people that are locked away there. That being said, nobody deserves to be raped.
Mutantboy,
You're taking a short post that I wrote and taking it out of context.
I agree with most of what you said. A large portion of an inmate population is there because they did something wrong, often something horrible. I never assigned percentages to who needs to be there forever, and who doesn't. I even taught substance abuse education, just like you.
In fact, I was pretty clear that OJ should be there. Should have been there the first time too, for that matter.
I was responding to a rather reckless notion that its easy to judge everybody and anybody in the system. If you generalize everyone in the system, you're gonna be making a mistake.
Now if your response to that is, "Well I didn't say *everybody* in the system", my counter reply to you would be "Well neither did I, Sh!T-for-brains."
Some people are broken and sick, and they never need to be on the street. Ever. I'm quite familiar with the apparant incurability of a rapist or a pediphile.
That doesn't change the fact that some people can find life spinning out of control real fast. You only have to find yourself in the wrong place in the wrong time and facing a fight. Or, think you're safe to drive home from the bar when you're not. Or, serve your country and get an honorable discharge, only to find out your old lady is screwing your marriage counselor. Get busted on your first and only drug deal. So what I was saying was, be careful about judging.. because "Irony, she is a b!tch". It'll still be your fault, you still hurt people and broke the Law, and you'll still have to do the time, but not everybody wakes up one day and decides to be a f*ck-up. Not everybody in prison is your contrived example of a murdering/rapist/psychopath.
Never once did I suggest that anybody that harms another person shouldn't be held responsible. Or that they deserve pity, or special consideration. Even if they had "one bad day". There is always an alternative to whatever one does to end up inside. All I said is be careful.. Don't judge too quickly, don't stick your nose up in the air and think you're better than anybody else.. 'cause life can be funny in a not-so-haha way.
And I stand by that sentiment and you can go straight to hell.
And the subject at hand was whether any body deserves to be raped in prison. They don't. If somebody sincerely wishes that on somebody, they're evil. Better to just wish 'em to be dead.
So Mutantboy, you had yourself a chance to take something out of context, and draw a contrast to some extreme examples. Got a chance to point out a so-called 'inmate advocate' and got to stick your chest out and look tough on a messageboard. You to call me "friendly." Bravo, you mastered the cheap shot. But just for the sake of everyone else, you don't know me. You don't know what I've seen. You don't know the decisions I've made. You're just some anonymous goof on a messageboard, trying to impress somebody.
There's another old saying, "Those who know, don't need to talk. And those who don't, will." I broke that rule myself (and truthfully I'm cursing myself a little for it too), because I saw a lot of folks talking about what its like to be in prison without knowing anything about it. I fit you right in with that catagory too.
Take your so-called 14 years at every security level and shove it. Don't expect a reply, if you need to prove yourself, I'll let you have the last word. I don't need to prove a damn thing to somebody like you.
I think it's a fair judgement; nothing more and nothing less. A more reasonable person would have gone to the police and filed a complaint if they thought their stolen property was about to be sold. Rather than holding someone hostage at gunpoint. I'm glad no one got hurt in this instance.
And I think there's been some great, civil discussion on the prison issue here and it's a heartening reminder of why I keep coming back to the messageboards.
The keyword was "some," which I take to apply to "civil." : ) On the other hand, almost all of it has been interesting.
I think there is a good admonition to be gained against drawing too many assumptions from things people post.
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that's the trick, but i'd have to say that raping someone, murdering someone (not in self defence, that is) or molesting kids pretty much disqualifies you from the "bad day" category.Fair enough!
(for the record, i think pot should be legal, stupid to lock people up for that, but the other drugs - well, i have a LOT of personal experience with junkies, and i think they should get rehab twice (sometimes it doesn't take the first time, kicking can be a b!^@#), after that, just lock them up.)Yeah, I have serious questions about the illegality of pot.
I don't touch the stuff myself, but still, I have no idea why it's illegal. I mean, it isn't any more dangerous than alcohol, and the government doesn't give a s*!$ about that. Just look at Ted Kennedy...
Anyway, I bet there are a lot of harmless people in prison right now that happened to get busted with a gram of pot, and now have a felony on their record. They don't belong there, and they're a drain on the prison system.
Disclaimer: take my post with a grain of salt- my experience is pretty limited.
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that's the trick, but i'd have to say that raping someone, murdering someone (not in self defence, that is) or molesting kids pretty much disqualifies you from the "bad day" category.Fair enough!
(for the record, i think pot should be legal, stupid to lock people up for that, but the other drugs - well, i have a LOT of personal experience with junkies, and i think they should get rehab twice (sometimes it doesn't take the first time, kicking can be a b!^@#), after that, just lock them up.)Yeah, I have serious questions about the illegality of pot.I don't touch the stuff myself, but still, I have no idea why it's illegal. I mean, it isn't any more dangerous than alcohol, and the government doesn't give a s&&! about that. Just look at Ted Kennedy...
Anyway, I bet there are a lot of harmless people in prison right now that happened to get busted with a gram of pot, and now have a felony on their record. They don't belong there, and they're a drain on the prison system.
i don't know about a "gram of pot" (as far as i know, a joint or two isn't a felony anyhere anymore, but i could be mistaken), but yeah, county jails have a lot of people with minor ammounts of weed (im saying a couple of ounces to maybe a pound) clogging up the system.
the worst thing about people with small ammounts of dope going to jail is they generally have to let someone out to make room, and the person getting out, more often or not, is a "real" criminal. there is a huge problem with this in texas, where people with "aggrivated" (mostly violent) offenses, who would normally have to do 2/3 of their sentence before being eligible for parole, are getting hearings after half their sentence, so they can make room for the non-violent drug offenders. and, frankly, most of the drug offenders are parole violators who need rehab, not more jail time.
(texas department of criminal justice - TDCJ - has a program called "safe p" which may be the most worthless rehab program on earth. they should go to the system the feds use, which is based on ellis' RET theory. it seriously helps and the recidivism rate is MUCH lower than state run programs)
that's the trick, but i'd have to say that raping someone, murdering someone (not in self defence, that is) or molesting kids pretty much disqualifies you from the "bad day" category.Fair enough!
(for the record, i think pot should be legal, stupid to lock people up for that, but the other drugs - well, i have a LOT of personal experience with junkies, and i think they should get rehab twice (sometimes it doesn't take the first time, kicking can be a b!^@#), after that, just lock them up.)Yeah, I have serious questions about the illegality of pot.I don't touch the stuff myself, but still, I have no idea why it's illegal. I mean, it isn't any more dangerous than alcohol, and the government doesn't give a s~~* about that. Just look at Ted Kennedy...
Anyway, I bet there are a lot of harmless people in prison right now that happened to get busted with a gram of pot, and now have a felony on their record. They don't belong there, and they're a drain on the prison system.
Disclaimer: take my post with a grain of salt- my experience is pretty limited.
I believe the reason why it's illegal is because it's too hard to tax. The government can't keep track of transactions. People can grow their own or buy from their friends. If it was easy to tax(like alcohol), you can bet that it would be legal.
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I believe the reason why it's illegal is because it's too hard to tax. The government can't keep track of transactions. People can grow their own or buy from their friends. If it was easy to tax(like alcohol), you can bet that it would be legal.
I kinda understand where they're coming from, but I live in a part of rural America where people have stills in their backyards. No tax on moonshine, but people still drink that.
I believe the reason why it's illegal is because it's too hard to tax. The government can't keep track of transactions. People can grow their own or buy from their friends. If it was easy to tax(like alcohol), you can bet that it would be legal.I kinda understand where they're coming from, but I live in a part of rural America where people have stills in their backyards. No tax on moonshine, but people still drink that.
And I'm guessing no one bothers enforcing the laws about stills?
"Money talks and OJ walks"
The above is one of life's lesson I learned during the 90s. I still think it is valid, because OJ can get an appeal, maybe he'll be found not guilty again.
Anyway, OJ was being stupid by breaking the law. He should have known that the murders would always play a role in a future trial.
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And I'm guessing no one bothers enforcing the laws about stills?I believe the reason why it's illegal is because it's too hard to tax. The government can't keep track of transactions. People can grow their own or buy from their friends. If it was easy to tax(like alcohol), you can bet that it would be legal.I kinda understand where they're coming from, but I live in a part of rural America where people have stills in their backyards. No tax on moonshine, but people still drink that.
Nah, the cops are too busy driving drunk in their squad cars, busting kids for smoking, and wrestling guns away from suicidal rednecks.
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"Money talks and OJ walks"
The above is one of life's lesson I learned during the 90s. I still think it is valid, because OJ can get an appeal, maybe he'll be found not guilty again.
Anyway, OJ was being stupid by breaking the law. He should have known that the murders would always play a role in a future trial.
OJ Simpson. The only person on earth dumber than Homer Simpson.
OJ Simpson. The only person on earth dumber than Homer Simpson.
Mmmm, that sounds like a great poll....