California's Parole Idiocy Continues

OK, here's a perfect example of the sheer idiocy of the Parole system in California. If you're a reader from California, you know that our prison system is under fire. We're overcrowded to the max, to the point of it being totally unsafe for the Correctional Officers to even do their job, and we have a shortage of them, as well. Even our Governor has declared that the system is collapsing under its own weight.

One of the biggest problems feeding into the overcrowding is the parole system. Out here, when you're released from prison, EVERYONE does time on parole. The rules for you to follow while you're on parole aren't as cut and dried as one might think. Everything depends on the parole agent that you're assigned. That agent might be more easygoing than some or they might be a wannabe cop who will put you back in prison for sneezing and not saying excuse me after you've sneezed. The truth is, even the hard and fast rules get played with by each and every parole agent. But some of the reasons for returning someone to prison on a violation are so asinine that even the Legislators who want to be tough on crime would be scratching their heads and saying "What???" This case is just one such case.

Part of every parolee's life for up to 5 years (depending on the crime you were convicted of) is reporting to your parole agent. How often you report in person depends on your agent and your parole custody level. Certain parolees have to report weekly and have more frequent contact with their agent. Others only have to report in once a month in person, and still more only have to fill out a form once a month. If you fail to report in, they can violate you immediately. From what I've been told, the usual procedure after failing to report is for the agent to call the number they have for you and/or drive out to try and find you. If they can't, then they fill out a report and have a warrant issued for your arrest. Leave the area for long enough and the violation becomes a bit more serious and it's called absconding.

The parolee I'm discussing here did just that. 5 years ago, with only 10 months left to go on parole, he screwed up and absconded all the way to Pennsylvania. Once there, he went about the business of living his life. He got a job, something that is nearly impossible for parolees in California. He paid his bills on time, building up a good credit record. He stopped using meth and getting arrested. He worked full time as a mechanic and went to college classes at night. For all intents and purposes, this man turned his life around. He literally did exactly what parole's main purpose is; he reintegrated into society without problems. But he absconded to do that. And California never lets an absconder just disappear into the night.

Earlier this summer, this man had a traffic violation. When they ran his license, it came up with the warrant for violating parole in California. So, off to jail he went, until California came to pick him up. They did and for the last month or so, he's sat behind bars waiting for the first hearing that they're supposed to have within 10 business days. He finally had the hearing today.

At his hearing, his lawyer showed everything that has happened since he absconded 5 years ago, how well this man had adjusted, a job, the college courses and his being on the Dean's list, all the things that made this man a good candidate for being continued on parole without going back to prison for the violation. Now, you would think that with California being broke and the prisons are all overcrowded, someone like this who had actually done 5 years without any further criminal activity and had even turned his life totally around, this person should be cut loose to get back to his life. Right?? But remember, this is California we're talking about, the state where compassionate release is only on paper, where they have to get their pound of flesh so that the politicians can espouse how much crime has been averted by their being tough on crime. The deputy commissioner who held this parolee's hearing decided he couldn't just let him go, he had to serve time. So he sentenced this parolee to 87 days in a drug rehab program inside the prison. 87 days inside prison so he can attend a program (for perhaps 20 days of that time if he's lucky) that will teach him something he has already learned how to do on his own. And the cost to California will be approximately $11,679.75. (average yearly cost to house/feed/clothe an inmate is 49,000. Divide that by 365, you get a daily cost of 134.25, multiplied by the 87 days he has to serve and you get that $11 grand figure.) $11 thousand to punish someone who has already done on his own exactly what he should have done. No crimes committed except a violation of parole.

And then we wonder why California's prisons are so crowded, why we have recidivism rates that rank us in the top 5 in the country, and why California is spending more money on inmates than on educating children so they don't become inmates in the first place?

My bottom line: As long as California wants to continue to LOOK tough on crime, it will continue to look STUPID overall.

First Words on a Blog

Here it is, my first thoughts on this blog. I've blogged before but they've always been private blogs, available only to one or two of my friends. This on is for the general public and I'm sure that at some point in time, there are going to be people who totally disapprove of what I'm saying. That's okay. I'm open to free speech. Beware: I WILL challenge you to prove your point or to back up your words with facts if I feel what you're saying makes no sense or defies logic.

I love to argue. I've been known to argue for hours, even switching my point of view if I think that will help someone else clarify their thoughts. I grew up in a home with parents who knew how to argue. I learned that, in my home, the only way to get your point across was to do it logically and loudly. Now that I'm more than grown up, I may not like to be quite as loud as I had to be then but I still love to get my point across. I'm emotional, as many people can be, when the topic is close to my heart.

I'm not an angel. I've had my moments of stupidity that ended up with being in places that no one wants to go to if they can possibly avoid them. But I've learned from those moments of stupidity and my biggest growth times have been in the months directly after those moments. Be prepared to read emotional posts that challenge your long-held beliefs.

This is My Bottom Line blog. Welcome!