Others paying the price for Epstein misdeeds
We see it happen all the time. After a high-profile misdeed happens, politicians implement a knee-jerk reaction that doesn’t punish the wrongdoer but punishes those having nothing to do with his or her misdeeds.
Friday night, Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw put a stop to the inmate work release program pending further review.
According to the Sun-Sentinel, “Epstein spent 13 months in the county stockade during 2008-2009 as part of a once-secret plea deal widely criticized as being too lenient. About 3½ months into his sentence, Epstein was allowed to spend up to 12 hours a day, six days a week, working out of a downtown West Palm Beach office.”
The are assigning a 32-member panel to investigate.
Really Palm Beach County?!?!? You need to waste time and money on a 32-member panel to try and figure out what happened? The world knows what happened! The wealthy and politically connected use their resources to get preferential treatment. That’s how the criminal justice system works in the United States. In this case, Epstein paid the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s office $128,000 during the time he was locked up there.
So now other inmates will be punished because of this?
The US Department of Justice – National Institute of Justice states, “The goal of the Florida Work Release program is to improve the recidivism outcomes of individuals reentering society from prison. The program provides a structured reentry environment to allow incarcerated persons nearing the end of their sentences to work regular jobs in the community. This program aims to help individuals arrive at their release dates with jobs and some savings.”
UNFAIR!
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When I was incarcerated in Virginia in a Low Security facility I decided I wanted to be a tutor. We had an education program there where inmates could work on their college degrees. I went up to the education building and expressed my desires. They told me that my dorm already had its limit on tutors. I asked then if I could at least take the exam to get my name on the waiting list. That afternoon I was administered the examination. The very next morning I received a note to report to the education building for an interview. I had the interview and that afternoon was designated a tutor. I had a great time helping guys out doing things from managing a bank account to doing algebra and geometry. I hope that many of the men today are doing well for themselves because of some of the help I provided them. The day I left, the entire dorm lined up to wish me well on the way out. The ‘lock em up and throw away the key’ attitude I had had for years was gone. I realized that good men can foul up and yet be redeemed…I was one of them. To not permit SO’s to be tutors is a terrible waste of potential talent. Unfortunately the corrections system frequently lets that happen. In my case Virginia gave me the chance to use my and other’s time wisely.
As a registered sex offender for over 22 years now, it never ceases to amaze me how I am implicitly associated with other citizens crimes despite there being absolutely no association between me and them.
Knee jerk responses keep coming and coming and amount to a life time of humiliation, punishment and hardship.
I HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH OTHER PEOPLE OR THEIR CRIMES!!
LEAVE ME ALONE!!
I was truly blessed while I was inside. I did Bio-Medical Repair on the outside and the dentist at the camp I was at went to bat for me with the Warden. As a result, I became the first Medical Repair Orderly in DOC, having my own tool box (Inventoried daily of course) and without a CO as a supervisor…The dentist monitored me as I rebuilt all 6 dental suites at the camp and performed repairs on the dental tools, eventually even having Medical send their gear to me for work. By the end of my “Tenure” it got to where I would walk into Dental, Doc would unlock my box, tell me what needed repair, then just head to his office and leave me to it. We even remained friends after my release until sadly, he passed away from cancer.
Had it not been for him, I would have spent my days “Sweeping the sun off the sidewalk” on Inside Grounds since I wasn’t allowed to go to Outside Grounds, or out the gate for any reason because of my status as a SO.
Sometimes when we lest expect it, God sends as an ‘angel’ to help get us through the hard times…and we all will have them. I had an ‘angel’ who stood with me in spite of her family’s advice to do otherwise. Today I am a free man…except that ‘god-awful registry…and my friend and I still do many things together to make this end of life more pleasant. By the way, I now get along quite well with her family as they were able to see the errors of their ways…and ‘mom knows best’.
Money talks…..the poor do ‘the perp walk’