I just got off probation after a year. I had failed drug tests and a class that I completed but wanted 8 more extra classes. (Of course I didnt go to them cause they gave me a certificate for completion). So I have to go to court on Feb 8th for these 2 things. I'm from PA living in nc and wanna go back to PA. What could the court do with these violations cause I don't know. My po said probably jail but I'm asking for anyone who has previous experience with stuff like this.

I work for a halfway house in Ohio. I have a pretty good job. I pick up people getting out of prison and take them to one of our halfway houses. When I am finished doing that for the day I take them to appointments and wherever they need to go in town. About 3 weeks ago I picked up a guy who was released on parole. He went to prison in 1983. He was convicted of 2 counts of aggravated murder. I have worked in prisons for quite a few years. I have met several people who got off death row. The ones I knew who got off death row were all re-sentenced to life. This guy I have been hanging out with seems like a pretty interesting person. He is kind of small and I think he’s 65 or 66 years old.

So he had some prescriptions he needed filled. His case manager had me take him to Walmart to get them filled. The pharmacy didn’t open for an hour and a half. I asked him if he had any money. He did so I asked him if he wanted to go eat breakfast at a really good place? He said sure. We went to a place that had very good food. He ordered bacon and fried eggs and grits and coffee. He had not had real bacon and fried eggs in years. He was in heaven. It was his first time eating in a sit down restaurant and not eating off of a rectangle tray and plastic spork. I was thinking to myself “I wonder what these fancy people in this restaurant would think if they knew who was eating there? Anyway I was talking to him and asked what is prison name was. He said his prison name was Death Row. I asked him about how he got parole because he was the first person I met in his situation. He went to parole hearing via video. He said he learned how to use a proper demeanor and how to speak. I asked if anyone from the victims families were there. He didn’t know. The parole board voted to grant him parole 5-0. Pretty surprising.

As we were talking and I found out he was in the Marines in the 1970’s. I am a veteran and I am very impressed with the Veterans Administration in my city. I called his case manager at the halfway house and told her I was taking him to the VA after Walmart. The guy actually had a copy of his DD-214 an honorable discharge in his paperwork. So we went back and got it. I took him to the VA and got him in the system. The VA was very nice. They had me take him to meet a social worker. He was told he qualifies for every benefit the VA offers except for dental care. He won’t ever have to worry about co pays. He will get prescriptions for free. They gave him a new Apple iPhone because he didn’t have one yet and it’s activated. There is some kind of program they have for justice involved veterans. They are going to reach out to him to help him find housing with his background. They also have job hunting assistance. He will be getting all kinds of mental health and medical assistance he needs. On Monday he will go back and they will assign him to a primary care team and doctor. He will be getting a physical and check up. The guy was extremely surprised and very grateful for me taking him there.

His case manager was very impressed as well because she didn’t know anything about veterans and what they qualify for.

People ask me if I feel nervous or unsafe around guys like him. The answer is very, very rarely. I have fun taking someone like him to Waffle House or McDonald’s to get something to eat. I took this guy to a college campus and pointed out these robots going up and down the streets delivering food. He thought it was amazing. He had a nice time riding around in the front seat of my really nice new minivan with really nice dashboard and electronics.

I’m pretty sure I have one of the neatest jobs in corrections.

Hey , so questions for a friend . My friend is on parole in Ohio but occasionally goes to Pennsylvania to see his gf , he got caught driving without a license in Pennsylvania. Thus far , hasn't got back to his parole... however , he needs to pay x amount upfront for the citation and if not a warrant gets put out , there's also the option of him making payment arranges but if he does that than he is officially entering a legal bind which will than alert his parole , what should he do? What will happen if he gets caught ? Will the Marshall's come ? Please send every and all advice , I feel for my friend because he's a good person; with truely the purest of intention .

Hey all,

I have a couple of misdemeanors (brandishing a firearm, assault and battery) from 9 years ago. I am hoping to travel to Thailand this April but cant find information on if there are travel restrictions. anyone have any answers or know where I can find those answers?

With social media being inevitably accessible to children, do you feel the publication of parents mugshots on Facebook could promote bullying in schools?

I have compiled a list of problems with punishment-oriented criminal justice systems:

1. Morality, criminality, and anti-social behavior are substantially genetically determined. The 2-repeat MAOA allele, and the CDH13 and DAT1 genes are several genetic influencers of criminal behavior that have been identified.

2. There is no free will, although there is externally- and self-induced behavior modification.

3. The evidence that harsher punishments have a stronger deterrent effect is mixed.

4. Retribution disregards the concept of forgiveness; two wrongs don’t make a right.

5. Criminals often can’t make the psychological connection between the act and the punishment.

6. If it is irrational to commit crimes because of the potential punishments, then why do people commit crimes?

I am not advocating for the abolition of punishment; clearly some punishment does have a deterrent effect, especially for the more intelligent members of society. Incarceration does have the effect of incapacitation. But the purpose of punishment, deterrence, and incapacitation is to prevent the crimes from happening in the first place. Therefore, I suggest an increased focus on preventing the crimes from happening.

Society can do this by stopping immigration, monitoring and improving the human genetic quality, increased focus on moral education (which would target the environmentally determined aspect of morality), and potentially also investing in security measures (which would help prevent crimes from happening in the first place).

When a serious crime is committed, two lives are wrecked: the victim’s, and the perpetrator's.

Thought you guys might be interested in this interview:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Lw5pmXj-qI&t=6s

I wanted to share this because it's necessary to have opportunities like this at a young age. If you're between the ages of 18-24 interested in targeted training and job opportunities involving justice reform and nonprofit work, the Dream Justice Youth Cohort application is now open. Plus there's a $1,500 scholarship after completing the program.

If you live in Phoenix or Sacramento, it's a great opportunity to get involved in the community and learn a lot!

Hello,

The Miami Herald is doing a story on juveniles tried in adult court through "direct file" laws and would like to hear the experiences of people who have gone through the process in Florida, especially South Florida.

If you went through the process in Florida in recent years or have a loved one or child who did, please contact 202-383-6007 or sdasgupta@mcclatchydc.com. The Herald would really appreciate hearing from you.

Our criminal justice system is overwhelming. Less than 2% of criminal charges go to jury trial. Only 14% of those result in acquittal. Around 3% have a bench trial (judge decides) 38% of them are acquitted. Less than 10% of charges filed are dropped. That means that 85% of the people charged with a crime plead guilty or no contest before the trial ( Some jurisdictions do not allow no-contest or so-called Alford pleas, especially for felonies).

This begs several questions. First are over 85% of those charged truly guilty? If not, why would someone who is not guilty actually plead guilty (or settle through an Alford plea) if they are not actually guilty? Why do so few people actually go to trial?

The first question is "are over 85 percent of those charged actually guilty?" We have to ask ourselves, "are our police actually that good?" Are they as Sybrina Fulton seemingly suggested always right, " He must be guilty, they arrested him?" While George Zimmerman was eventually acquitted, we really have to ask, "Was he truly Innocent?"

Why do so few go to trial? If you believe the police and prosecutors, it is because they thoroughly investigate and only prosecute the truly guilty. It would seem the reality is not that. The reality is that between the conviction rate at trial and the difference in charges and sentencing offered pre-trial versus that possible or proposed at trial, innocent defendants will often take the lesser sentence as opposed to taking the risk at trial of getting a prison sentence (or a prison sentence 2 to 3 x or longer more.) So, you plead guilty to get a probated sentence as opposed to the possibility of years in jail or prison. You plead guilty to get less time in jail or prison. Finally, you plead guilty to a reduced charge that may have less social and societal consequences than the original charge. ( violent versus non-violent, necessity to register as a sex offender, etc.)

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Who actually goes to trial? The first group are those who the prosecutors' settlement offers are more harsh than that the trial might result in. Those who stand to lose virtually everything by taking any plea. This is especially true if the outcome of a plea would result in an especially long sentence (40+ years, life, or execution) or loss of the ability to practice a particular profession; ESPECIALLY if the defendant believes himself to be truly innocent. The second group would be those who have nothing to lose such as those facing a 3rd strike or those whose minimum sentence would result in jail till death. These two groups are those who really see the probabilities of trial as no worse than the offers presented.

There is a third group who go to trial; the WELL REPRESENTED. Those who can afford to hire LAWYERS and pay for the same kind of manhours into their defense that the prosecution can and do put into a prosecution. George Zimmerman may fall into this group.

The well represented do not all go to trial. Even among them , a majority actually take a plea. This plea may be much less than if that offered to someone without a private attorney (those without any representation or those with court appointed counsel.) Those with private attorneys are far more likely to have outright formal dismissals.

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Your opinions or comments? More later.

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All war crimes throughout history should be brought against the State, to levy its value, the currencies value. British crimes against humanity must be wrought, Chinese war crimes, the Super Power status will be revoked with properly legal recourse by the ICC against States as immutable entities.