incarceration
Incarceration, rehabilitation, recidivism: The reality of prison life and what it's like to be an inmate locked up behind bars.
The Criminal Justice Process
In the United States, the criminal justice process occurs in several stages. Each of these stages contains a number of complex contingencies and procedures. Some of these procedures are so complicated that they are beyond the understanding of most laymen. Lawyers are interpreters of the law employed not only for criminal cases but also civil matters, such as lawsuits. There are two sides to every trial, the defense and the prosecution. To prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the accused is indeed guilty of the crime for which they are being tried is the job of the prosecution. Defense takes on the greater burden of refuting the evidence provided by the prosecution, usually through the cross-examination of prosecution witnesses and discrediting the prosecution’s evidence by way of expert counter-testimony.
By Mack Devlin5 years ago in Criminal
A Force To Be Reckoned With
Jack was taken from the county jail to the ‘Deuel Vocational Institution’ in Tracy. The primary purpose of DVI is to serve as a reception center for newly committed prisoners to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation from northern California county jails.
By Jim Patterson5 years ago in Criminal
The Cake Was a Lie…
Well… looks like this is it. The day of my death has arrived at last. I’ve been on death row for so many years, I’ve lost count at this point. I’ve forgotten what my crime was, if I even had one to begin with. I sat alone in that cold, empty stone cell for what seemed like days. They had put us into the hardest prison to break out of. All the walls were lined with steel an inch thick in the already thick cement walls. All of the other inmates were screaming suddenly, yelling and throwing slurs left and right. I sat numbingly staring at the wall, waiting for my time to finally come. There was a loud metal click as the lock to my cage was unhinged. The door creaked open loudly as the guard came to collect me. My head lolled over to look at them. “It’s time.” I walked over with a hunch, grudgingly swaying as they clicked the handcuffs on my wrists. Way too tight for any sort of comfort. Walking slowly down the hall with my head down, there were many inmates screaming. Saying that I didn’t deserve the death sentence, that they were too harsh with my punishment. There were others that just watched me with a grin, glad to see me go at last. I had made a lot of friends in here before my trial, but I guess I made some enemies too. Away from all the inmates, as their screams and shouts became distant, everything became darker. You could smell the stench of death that emanated through the air. Toxic chemicals, burned flesh, and other odors you wouldn’t even want to identify.
By Dani Lucille5 years ago in Criminal
Every Moment Counts
525,600 minutes 525,000 moments so dear 525,600 minutes How do you measure? Measure a year? This song plays in my head each morning, as I scratch another day off on the wall. Only for me, it’s been 4,207,680 minutes. That’s right eight years. Eight years in the same cell, and only three days to go. Well, 4,000 minutes to be exact!
By Nicoleta Marangou5 years ago in Criminal
Inside a lion's cage
Do not judge me for being too aggressive. Do not hate the fact that my behavior reveals the undeniable truth about all humans. that beneath this civilized appearance lies an apex predator, a beast that has never found peace, and probably never will. So, they run from this truth calling it a lie. condemning those who spread this message. Incarcerating those who demonstrate this truth by word and deed. at lease inside a lion knows where he stands. because outside are people who like to pretend
By Deon Hudson5 years ago in Criminal
My Journey Down the Rabbit Hole
This is my story and the events that led me to collide with this historically huge case. All these events detail are facts in the public domain. The only personal information is my own. And that is in the public domain, by way of my blog on this case, ConjuringJustice.com. I am telling the path that led me to who I am today. I always referred to this part of my life is the "lost time", or "a past life". But when I became aware of what I wanted my life to represent, even at nearly 40, I used my experience in that "past life" to help someone whom I did not care for particularly. He was not a favorite person of mine. He was part of the time I did not wish to ever revisit, but we all have a past. I learned through this portion of my journey, that all these times, events, are just simple stones in the mosaic of life. We may not see what the design will be, but each piece is integral to your life's journey. Even those things, we are ashamed of or regret, can be made into an incredible design that becomes the legacy we have carefully crafted of our life events. It represents growth. It cannot be overlooked that things we have gone through, could help others understand how to navigate these same issues we already conquered. Follow me through the my short-lived walk on the wild side. Maybe you can envision why I am on this path.
By Jimmie Lee Staley5 years ago in Criminal
Not Quite Nellie
I had never been so nervous making dinner before. Two weeks I had planned what I was going to say: writing drafts, compiling charts, and asking literally everyone I knew to make sure what I was going to say was fair. I was very well prepared, but my hands couldn't stop shaking all the same.
By Guenneth Speldrong5 years ago in Criminal
The Psychotropication of the American Prisoner
How much time is too much? In the late 80s the U.S. Congress created a law recognizing crack cocaine, a derivative of powder cocaine, to carry a federal sentence 100 times the weight of its powder cocaine derivative. The Controlled Substances Act established a minimum mandatory sentence of five years for a first-time trafficking offense involving over five grams of crack, as opposed to 500 grams of powder cocaine. In other words, it enacted a criminal liability scheme that $125 of street value crack cocaine, is the moral and criminal equivalent of $12,500 of street value powder cocaine. A low bar entry of $125 to run afoul of federal law is targeting consumers, whereas a $12,500 price tag is targeting dealers. This criminal liability scheme created racial disparity in sentencing, as it was known at the time of its enactment, African Americans were the consumers of crack, while White Americans were the consumers of powder. The law imposed the same ratio for larger amounts: a minimum sentence of 10 years for amounts of crack over 50 grams ($12,500), versus 5 kilograms of cocaine ($125,000).
By Darealprisonart5 years ago in Criminal
The sisterhood of evil
I consider Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer two of the evilest serial killers in our lifetime. There have been countless books, movies, and documentaries written about these two monsters. Whenever we think about serial killers, we usually exclude women. Other than Aileen Wuornos, there aren’t too many high-profile female serial killers.
By Marc Hoover5 years ago in Criminal
