Practical Tip – Do a Demand Letter instead of a Lawsuit – This works great and SAVES YOU A LOT OF AGGRAVATION – kra
Even when I was practicing full time, I often suggested to a client who came in saying “i want to sue X” that we do a Demand Letter first.
Recently, I have helped folks with Demand Letters, with great results – One person got a check from the insurance company which was giving her a run around, another got a check from the lawyer for his malpractice … and several more.
To discuss the possibilities and answer any of your questions concerning any legal dispute, CALL me. No charge, and you will know all your options.
Ken Abraham 302-423-4067
My Little Statue Tells the Sad Tale! – kra
Just read so many of the articles on my website, field just a few of the calls I get every week, to realize the sad truth of My Little Statue, below!
Raise some hell about it. Here is How: READ Practical Tip – Get Empowered! How YOU Can Create a Powerful, Effective Force for Reform of our Criminal Justice System
Instead of arresting a woman, this police officer got her help
God knows we need more cops like this one!
Excerpts from the Article:
Officer Christopher Samya was getting ready to go home at the end his night shift when a call came over his radio. The 20-year police veteran responded and quickly headed to a nearby gas station where he discovered a disoriented woman, clearly at rock bottom. Samya, who has worked the night shift for more than 10 years, says it’s a common occurrence.
“We’ve worked more heroin overdoses than I can count,” he told CNN.
Sumiton is in Walker County, Alabama, which has the highest rate of drug overdoses in the state. According to a database of Drug Enforcement Administration information compiled by the Washington Post, 66 million prescription opioid pills were prescribed in the county from 2006 to 2012 — more than in any other part of the state during that time.
Instead of slapping handcuffs on the woman and taking her into custody, Samya sat down on the ground next to the woman and they talked. “She had confessed she had been using drugs and that she had been using drugs for quite some time,” Samya said. “And she was going through a tough time in life.
“My instincts told me she needed help more than she needed jail.”
Samya contacted local medical services and, after the woman was treated at a local hospital, she was connected with the Mercy Project — a program created by the Walker County sheriff’s office that provides free services to help any Alabama resident struggling with addiction. The program helps residents get into state or faith-based treatment programs and provides job training and placement once treatment is complete.
The Mercy Project is the brainchild of Walker County Sheriff Nick Smith, who had started a drug treatment program a few years earlier when he was police chief in nearby Cordova, Alabama.
“It’s not about just trying to lock people up, but it’s about actually helping that individual, especially in small towns,” explained Deputy TJ Armstrong, a spokesman for the Walker County Sheriff’s Department who manages the program. “To someone who has struggled with addiction, we’re the bad guys. We’re the last people that they want to see.”
“Ultimately, I’m out here to help people,” Samya said. “That’s what I was taught when I was a kid. This is what I was taught when I became a police officer. And that’s how I feel about it in my heart.”
The Whole Story and Watch the Video
Abuse of Force: Body camera video shows man tased 11 times by Glendale officers – OUTRAGEOUS! – kra
People like these out of control sadists need to be prosecuted and imprisoned! Fools like this give all of the good cops a bad reputation. It is nothing short of OUTRAGEOUS that prosecutors don’t prosecute these criminals in law enforcement uniforms.
Excerpts from the Article:
On July 27, 2017, Johnny Wheatcroft was a passenger in a silver Ford Taurus when a pair of Glendale police officers pulled in front them in a Motel 6 parking lot. The stop was for an alleged turn signal violation.
Minutes later, Wheatcroft was handcuffed lying face down on the hot asphalt on a 108-degree day. He’d already been tased 10 times, with one officer kneeling on his back as another, Officer Matt Schneider, kicked him in the groin and pulled down his athletic shorts to tase him a final time in his testicles, according to a federal lawsuit and body camera footage obtained by ABC15.
The scene was witnessed by his 11- and 6-year-old sons.
“I have never seen anything like this before… This is just beyond the pale. It’s outrageous conduct.”
Multiple independent law enforcement experts, who agreed to review the incident, said the officers’ conduct was unlawful, potentially criminal, and one of the most cruel and troubling cases of police misconduct they’ve ever seen.
“I have never seen anything like this before,” said Jeff Noble, an attorney and former deputy chief of police in Irvine, Calif., who’s testified in hundreds of cases including Tamir Rice and Philando Castile. “ It reminds me of a case in New York where an individual was sadistically taking a broom handle and shoving it up (the suspect’s) anus. This is just beyond the pale. It’s outrageous conduct.”
“That’s not even borderline,” said Williams, an expert witness who testified in the Philip Brailsford case on behalf of the prosecution. “That’s inhumane.”
Schneider was suspended for 30 hours and remains an active officer on the force, records show.
The experts said it was appalling that Officer Schneider, who has won multiple awards from the police chief and has represented Glendale twice on the TV show Cops, was not terminated. They also believe Glendale should have referred the case for outside criminal investigation and prosecution.
“If he intentionally struck a passenger in the testicles, and then intentionally tased him in or near the genitals, I’m surprised he hasn’t been prosecuted,” said Seth Stoughton, a former police officer who’s now an attorney and professor at the University of South Carolina School of Law. “It raises half a dozen red flags that suggest the need for a thorough review, including a review to determine if the officer committed any crimes.”
On February 8, the Glendale Police Department released the following statement: In addition to the statement, Glendale PD released 30 seconds of surveillance video showing the incident: The release is full of omissions and information that does not match up with the departments own records.
But the lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court of Arizona by attorneys Marc Victor and Jody Broaddus, alleges that the officers violated the constitutional rights of Wheatcroft and his wife, Anya Chapman, and engaged in the “excessive use of force and torture.”
Wheatcroft and Chapman, who were arrested and charged with aggravated assault on a police officer, spent months in jail after the incident because they couldn’t afford bail. Chapman agreed to plead guilty to a lesser charge in order to get home to her children, her attorneys said.
The charges against Wheatcroft were dismissed by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office after prosecutors saw the body camera video.
Wheatcroft, who’s currently in prison on an unrelated burglary charge stemming from a copper wire theft, was not available for comment.
For independent analysis, ABC15 spoke with three former law enforcement officers, who testify as expert witnesses in police use-of-force cases across the country: Williams, Noble, and Stoughton.
NOBLE: The controlling officer is not going to the driver’s side and investigating the turn signal. He’s focused on the passenger, which tells me that maybe this is not why we’re here. They’re not really interested in his turn signal violation.
TIME: 0:55 – 2:05
Schneider asks Wheatcroft multiple times for identification. He responds by asking why that’s necessary since he wasn’t driving the car. The officer tells him, “If you’re a passenger in a vehicle, you need to have ID.” And if Wheatcroft doesn’t provide it, Schneider says, “I can take you down to the station and we can fingerprint you.”
NOBLE: So the passenger, he’s asking very reasonable questions: ‘Why are you asking for ID?’ And the officer tells him, ‘If you’re a passenger in the vehicle, you have to give ID.’ That’s misstatement of the law. He doesn’t have to give ID…It’s not true. It’s not accurate. (Then the officer says) ‘I can take you down to the station and fingerprint you.’ Well no, you can’t. You can’t. That’s using his authority in an improper way by claiming he can arrest or detain him to fingerprint him when he’s done nothing wrong.
TIME: 2:05 – 2:55
Schneider then opens the car door and grabs Wheatcroft’s right arm. By grabbing his arm, it prevents the seatbelt from sliding off completely. The officer then pulls his Taser and applies it to Wheatcroft’s arm. Wheatcroft says, “Stop please. I didn’t do anything wrong.” Shnieder replies, “Here’s the deal, you tense up and I’m going to, listen to me. Listen to me. Relax your arm.” Wheatcroft asks, “What did I do wrong? What did I do wrong?”
WILLIAMS: I didn’t see any resisting. I saw questions being asked. See (the officer’s) starting out wrong. You’re starting out wrong. See what he’s doing is escalating the situation for no reason at all.
NOBLE: Look at the passenger, there’s nothing threatening there. He hasn’t made any threats. All he’s done is ask some questions…We’re at a point, where this gentlemen, to a reasonable officer, has not done anything wrong. What has he done to allow an officer to physically touch him at this point? So to use force, you have to have a lawful detention or lawful arrest, why are we here. We are here for a turn signal violation and he’s not the driver.
TIME: 2:55 – 3:20
Schneider then puts his Taser away and uses his other hand to grab Wheatcroft’s elbow and put him into a plain compliance hold. The seatbelt wraps around Wheatcroft’s head and legs as officers try to pull him from the vehicle.
WILLIAMS: There’s no need to twist his arm. No need for that…He’s still strapped in the vehicle. What is he going to do? How is he going to get out…You ask him not to do this, ask him not to do that. He can’t do anything because he’s strapped into the seatbelt.
NOBLE: He’s put him in a rear wrist lock with the seatbelt over his shoulder. If I did that to you right now, you would similarly bend forward. And if you were not flexible, it would be painful. It should be no surprise to this officer, that he is pulling some resistance back. Because he is putting him in a position of pain. This is a pain compliance move. He’s twisting his wrist, he’s putting his left hand on his elbow forcing forward where the seatbelt is restraining him.
TIME: 3:20 – 4:10
With Wheatcroft tangled in the seatbelt, another officer tases him multiple times in the left side by using what’s called a “drive stun.” Officer Schneider then steps back and fires his taser at Wheatcroft who’s on the ground between the car door and the vehicle, with the seatbelt wrapped around his legs. The officers then drive stun Wheatcroft several more times. He’s placed in handcuffs.
WILLIAMS: He’s being drive stunned there and he’s still strapped into the seatbelt. All of that physical initiation by the officers should not have been. He can’t comply because you’re not allowing him to comply…What you see here is textbook wrong — at every angle.
NOBLE: He was just sitting there, and they’re tasing him again. (Reporter: So there’s no reason for that? It’s about pain, just to make him hurt?) Absolutely. That’s exactly what that is for. It’s about pain. This is about causing this man pain. There is no legitimate law enforcement purpose for that Taser.
TIME: 4:10 – 4:50
During the previous portion, officers claim Anya Chapman hit Officer Lindsey in the head with a plastic bag of items. You hear Schneider say, “Mark is hurt.” The officers then try to drag Wheatcroft away from the vehicle, but his legs are still stuck in the seatbelt. The 11-year-old boy in the car moves into the front seat to finally free Wheatcroft from the belt. Schneider commands the boy to go to the front of vehicle, causing him to burst out in tears and scream.
NOBLE: He’s trying to let officers know, ‘I’m trying to comply. I’m stuck I can’t do what you want me to do.’ A child, a small child, who just released his legs, who in effect helped the officers, (Schneider) starts giving orders as if he’s a suspect. And you see the boy, who just did something good, just tried to help the officer, being confronted.
WILLIAMS: The young kid there had more common sense than the officers…The officers should have done that themselves.
TIME: 4:50 – 6:00
Wheatcroft is laying face down on the asphalt, handcuffed, with an officer kneeling on his back. Officer Schneider then turns, accuses Wheatcroft of kicking, and then kicks Wheatcroft in the groin twice. Schneider then takes his left hand, pulls down Wheatcroft’s athletic shorts below his buttocks, and tases him in the testicles, according to Wheatcroft’s lawsuit. Shortly later, Schneider recharges his Taser and this time places it on Wheatcroft’s penis while he’s laying on his side, saying “You want it again? Shut your mouth. I’m done (expletive) around with you.”
WILLIAMS: That’s not even borderline. That’s inhumane…There’s no reason to tase him period when he’s handcuffed at all. They’ve got four, five officers around there. All of that tasing should have been done; well there shouldn’t have been tasing to begin with.
NOBLE: This is not an accident...This has the appearance of an intentional act. There’s absolutely no legitimate law enforcement purpose. This is beyond the pale. This is unconscionable.
TIME: 6:00 – END
A handful of officers pull Wheatcroft to his feet and pull Taser probes from his skin. He yells in pain, Schneider tells him, “Shut up…You shouldn’t have been stupid then… Quit acting like a big baby.” Wheatcroft was tased 11 times, according to his attorneys. He was placed in a police vehicle and booked into jail for two counts of aggravated assault. He did not receive medical treatment. Experts said he should have.
NOBLE: This was bad from the beginning, and it only got worse.
WILLIAMS: They started wrong and they ended wrong. There is no justification for what they did.
The Whole Story and the Disturbing Video
Cuyahoga County Jail officer who pepper-sprayed restrained inmate arrested on extortion, intimidation charges – Every officer in that video should do TIME! – kra
Watch the video and see these cowardly assholes spray her. As usual, they tried to criminally cover up their criminal conduct. READ Culture of Cover Up
Excerpts from the Article:
A Cuyahoga County Corrections supervisor who pepper-sprayed an inmate strapped to a restraint chair is now accused of extorting a coworker by threatening to release videos of incidents in the jail if the coworker refused to give testimony that could support his defense. Cpl. Idris-Farid Clark, 32, is charged with extortion and bribery. He was arrested Wednesday and is being held in the Geauga County Jail on $100,000 bond. Prosecutors have asked to have his bond revoked in the pepper-spraying case.
Clark is among 10 current or former jail employees charged in connection with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office probe of the jail. Former warden Eric Ivey pleaded guilty earlier this week, marking the first conviction in the probe.
Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office investigator Robert DeSimone, who is working as a special investigator for the attorney general’s office, wrote in court records that the FBI assisted in the investigation.
Clark on Aug. 7 texted an unnamed co-worker, asked to meet with him and said that he was receiving videos of “different incidents” that he said were “not good” or “just as bad as his,” DeSimone’s affidavit says.
FBI agents and DeSimone on Wednesday put a recording device on the other officer’s phone and had him call Clark, the records say.
Clark told the other officer to obtain other jail videos showing officers pepper-spraying inmates, the affidavit says. He also asked the officer to obtain the video from the county’s computers and provide it to him. He said he would then destroy the videos once the officer testified for him.
“I have videos available to me that could incriminate you if released,” Clark told the officer on the call, the records say. “You’d be sitting in the same boat I’m in.”
Clark is also charged with felonious assault, a second-degree felony, and misdemeanor charges of interfering with civil rights and unlawful restraint in the July 16, 2018 attack on inmate Chantelle Glass. Clark has pleaded not guilty to the charges. Another corrections officer, Robert Marsh, is charged with assault in the incident. He has also pleaded not guilty.
Surveillance video shows what happened during the incident involving Glass, who was arrested and brought to the jail after a heated argument with her sister. She was never charged in the case, but was being held in the jail because she failed to show up for court for an old traffic ticket.
In a previous interview with cleveland.com, Glass said she got mad when officers refused to allow her to make a phone call to let someone know she was in the jail. That is backed up by what officers wrote in their documentation of the incident, released late Thursday.
Glass lifted her right leg twice as Marsh tried to strap her legs in the chair. Marsh then took a step back and slugged her in the face with an open-handed punch, surveillance video shows.
Clark, who had his pepper-spray can in hand nearly the entire time, sprayed her in the face from about 6 inches away and for about six seconds, the video shows. Clark did not have his body camera recording at the time of the incident. He was initially suspended for 15 days without pay. Both he and Marsh were put on unpaid leave after they were criminally charged in the incident.
Glass has since sued Cuyahoga County, county officials, Clark and Marsh.
4th Florida prison officer faces charge for inmate beating – Good! These cowardly, criminal “law enforcement officers” must be held ACCOUNTABLE – kra
Read the original article and see the shocking video!
Excerpts from the Article:
A fourth Florida correctional officer has been charged with a felony after a video taken by an inmate using a smuggled cellphone showed several guards beating another prisoner.
The Florida Department of Corrections said Monday that Officer Ian Gretka faces a charge of being a principal to malicious battery, a third-degree felony.
An arrest affidavit says Gretka hit the inmate 13 times in the rib cage.
Investigators say the attack occurred July 8 at Lake Correctional Institution in Clermont. An unnamed inmate gave commentary on a five-minute video as the beating was happening. He shot the video through a cell window and sent it to another person, who uploaded it online.
Gretka has been fired.
Online court records showed no court docket and no attorney for Gretka.
GREETING TO NEW INTERNET CONNECTIONS! Information everyone should know! – kra
This is what I send to most (I don’t have time to get it to all of them) new internet connections, on MeWe, LinkedIn, etc.
Greetings:
Thanks for connecting. You may want to subscribe to our weekly eNewsletter. Check out our website, loaded with useful (Enter “Practical Tip” in search bar!) and important information you will not see elsewhere!
Ken Abraham specializes in getting people Pardons nationwide, and in Applications for Clemency/Commutation, to get people out of prison early, if they have a chance … and he can asses that with a short phone call. Mr. Abraham has great success in this specialized field of work!
Should you or any of your connections ever have any questions about any of these articles or about any problem with the criminal justice system, or about civil rights, don’t hesitate to call me. 302-423-4067. I work every day from 3 or 4 am until 10 pm. I get calls from all over the country about everything from grad students looking for guidance with their classes to freeing the innocent and others from prisons, calls about saving lives… etc., …and glad to answer them all. If I don’t know an answer, I’ll say “I don’t know, but let’s find out!”
Everybody is affected by our dysfunctional criminal justice system. Read these Articles to learn some solutions to the problems!
Porn star or not, read this! Practical Tip # 89 – Accusers face risks in breaking nondisclosure agreements – Don’t Sign a Nondisclosure! – kra With Letter to the Editor = http://www.citizensforcriminaljustice.net/practical-tip-89-accusers-face-risks-breaking-nondisclosure-agreements-dont-sign-nondisclosure-kra/
This is a MUST READ if you have not read it! Probation and Parole – a short Essay by Ken Abraham – With Letter to the Editor or Editorial Submission – Widely PUBLISHED = http://www.citizensforcriminaljustice.net/probation-and-parole-an-essay-by-ken-abraham-with-letter-to-the-editor/
Practical Tip on Pardons, Expungements, Commutations/Clemency – With fee agreement = http://www.citizensforcriminaljustice.net/practical-tip-pardons-expungments-commtations/
Report Bad Lawyers – Do it! – http://www.citizensforcriminaljustice.net/report-bad-lawyers-they-dont-just-screw-up-the-casethey-ruin-lives-every-day/
Prison Abuse – Why Massive Indifference is a Massive Mistake – kra = http://www.citizensforcriminaljustice.net/prison-abuse-massive-indifference-massive-mistake/
READ Crime Prevention Bill = http://www.citizensforcriminaljustice.net/crime-bill/
Know Anyone Associated With an Innocence Project Team? Practical Tip: Tell them “Get them out First” kra – http://www.citizensforcriminaljustice.net/practical-tip-pardons-expungments-commtations/
http://www.citizensforcriminaljustice.net/prosecution-imprisonment-will-stop-prison-abuse-demand-avoid-deaths-prison-guards/ = How to avoid the deaths of prison guards and inmates … or do you want to join the countless officials who refuse to acknowledge this huge problem called prison abuse?
http://www.citizensforcriminaljustice.net/the-power-of-advertising-win-the-war-on-dr = The Answer to the Drug Problem … or do you want to continue to waste about a hundred billion dollars a year, and get nowhere?
Letter to the Editor – Criminal justice system policies are changing for the better – by Ken Abraham – PUBLISHED – http://www.citizensforcriminaljustice.net/criminal-justice-system-policies-changing-better-ken-abraham-published/
Florida shooting: NRA sues as Florida enacts gun-control law – with Letter to the Editor – kra – http://www.citizensforcriminaljustice.net/florida-shooting-nra-sues-as-florida-enacts-gun-control-law-with-letter-to-the-editor-kra/ I just about fell out of my chair when a Pulitzer Prize winning author called me a minute ago and said: “Great letter, Mr. Abraham!” He now calls me Ken.
Letter from a concerned citizen, Pam Rehmer, about racism in the criminal justice system. Although polls show that 74% of Americans don’t think the system is racist, many, many studies show that it is. http://www.citizensforcriminaljustice.net/letter-from-a-concerned-citizen-about-racism-in-the-system/
http://www.citizensforcriminaljustice.net/how-the-war-on-drugs-has-destroyed-justice/ = I remember when the system worked well; justice nearly always was the result. Today it is a total train wreck – perhaps the most vivid manifestation is that we are imprisoning hundreds of innocent people every year. This is WHY it is a train wreck!
More Band-Aids won’t solve wave of drug violence! – http://www.citizensforcriminaljustice.net/band-aids-wont-solve-wave-drug-violence/
Politics – Politics is what destroyed our criminal justice system! – http://www.citizensforcriminaljustice.net/politics-politics-destroyed-criminal-justice-system/
Abolish the “Sex Offender” Registry! Learn the FACTS instead of all the “Sex Offender Hysteria” kra = http://www.citizensforcriminaljustice.net/abolish-the-sex-offender-registry-kra/
Got a Problem with the Criminal Justice System? CALL this Guy!
Got a Problem with the Criminal Justice System? CALL this Guy!
Practical Tip – Get Empowered! How YOU Can Create a Powerful, Effective Force for Reform of our Criminal Justice System -http://www.citizensforcriminaljustice.net/practical-tip-how-you-can-create-a-powerful-effective-force-for-reform-of-our-criminal-justice-system/
Please take a moment to join our Citizens for Criminal JUSTICE group on MeWe, the fast – growing social media platform positioning itself as an alternative to FB!
Yes, he was funny as hell, but also wise:
Feel free to reproduce anything I have written anywhere at any time, with or without attribution. The important thing is to share the information, educate the public, most of whom are clueless about what a disaster the criminal justice system is!
Want to debate any of this? Call any time; I work from 3 or 4 a m until I drop every day. Better yet, please invite me to a public forum to debate any of these issues!
Make A Difference
So many say “why bother, there’s nothing I can do!”
Well, I sure hope one of those is not you!
For you can be far, far more influential than you think,
All you need do is share some well-thought-out-ink!
kra 3/11/18
READ http://www.citizensforcriminaljustice.net/practical-tip-how-you-can-become-a-prison-reform-advocate-here-is-how-do-it/Practical Tip: How YOU can become a “prison reform advocate” – or any ADVOCATE! Here is how! EASY as 1, 2 ,3 ! DO IT!
Why Am I Up in The Middle of The Night?
Why Am I Up in The Middle of The Night?
Because there is so much injustice in the justice system, it’s just not right,
So I rest when I can, but, largely, I fight, fight, fight,
I remember when the system did in fact work quit well,
But since our “war on drugs”, it’s gone straight to hell!
Kra 3/22/18
Learn neat stuff: The BBC series “Planet Earth – Dynasties”! Have you seen shrimps attack a starfish? Did you know that there are fish with jaws so powerful that they can bite through rock? Have you seen the astonishing transformations which cuttlefish use to disguise themselves? Did you know there is a predator which eats great white sharks? – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iC3hGfTI3ew
MAKE it a great day! Ken Abraham
Founder, Citizens for Criminal JUSTICE, (CCJ)
www.citizensforcriminaljustice.net
430 Kings Hwy., Suite 414, Dover, DE 19901
Founder, “Adopt a Prisoner” Church Reentry Program,
And founder of no more organizations this decade! 🙂
302-423-4067
Governor Leads Call-to-Action for Criminal Justice Reforms – Hits the Nail on the Head! kra
Ken’s Comments:
This article was sent by my colleagues at LEAP, where I am on the Speakers Bureau.
Here is another voice of reason in a realm of life so destructive to our country. While there is lots of talk of reforms these days, there is little action. Why? Because for every 1 person arrested, 29 benefit financially. Only a handful of those 29 are actually helping society’ many are just “collecting a paycheck”! Think about it: cops, support staff, judges, prosecutors, prison and probation personnel and all the contractors supplying them with “programs” supplies, etc.! Most of them spend millions of dollars lobbing and bribing lawmakers to oppose much-needed reforms! YOUR tax money being wasted.
Speak out for the kinds of reforms mentioned here by Governor of PA and others! READ Practical Tip – Get Empowered! How YOU Can Create a Powerful, Effective Force for Reform of our Criminal Justice System – http://www.citizensforcriminaljustice.net/practical-tip-how-you-can-create-a-powerful-effective-force-for-reform-of-our-criminal-justice-system/
Excerpts from the Article:
Harrisburg Reporter Matt Heckel has the story. “No one’s level of wealth, no one’s race, their creed, should lead to different conditions in imprisonment,” said Governor Tom Wolf calling on Pennsylvania lawmakers Thursday to pass a package of eight initiative designed to reform the state’s criminal justice system.
“We need to work to make our criminal justice system more fair, more equitable, and more focused on rehabilitation.” the Governor Added. The initiatives include bail and pre-trial reforms… Making sure everyone has a right to a fair trial
“If they don’t present a risk, they shouldn’t be incarcerated pre-trial, simply because they don’t have the fifty dollars to make bail,” noted John Wetzel, Department of Corrections Secretary
The Governor also asking to adopt a standard assessment tool for sentencing. Clean slate legislation to allow those convicted to re-enter society after being released and to make sure even those without money have access to legal help. Right now, Pennsylvania’s the only state that doesn’t provide state funding to a public defender system.
“Everyone deserves adequate legal representation, regardless of their ability to pay,” said Governor Wolf.
And supporters say with previous criminal justice reform bills in 2012 resulting in savings of 400 million dollars through lower prison population. These latest reforms wouldn’t only be good for those who serve time but also for the community as a whole.
“Many times, when individuals can’t post arbitrary bail or are clogging up the criminal justice system, not only is there a human impact, but there’s an impact directly to tax dollars,” added George Hartwick, Dauphin County Commissioner.
And the Governor pointing out that since those previous criminal justice reforms six years ago the state’s prison population has dropped by more than three thousand inmates.
In Her Shoes, Inc. – Dig it! kra
Women helping women. Man, woman, or in between, I am sure YOU could help, so give them a call at 302-585-4978.
Helping women at risk for re-incarceration = helping society = reducing crime.
In Her Shoes, Inc. is a non-profit Program exclusively for Women. Our mission is to facilitate, nurture, and restore hope through community services to women who has experience inform trauma, treatment programs, incarceration, and hardship.
Two-thirds of incarcerated women face re-entry challenges after release from prison: Having even a minor criminal record, such as a misdemeanor or even an arrest without conviction, can create an array of lifelong barriers that stand in the way of successful entry for women.
Jailhouse video shows deputies watching as inmate dies
Ken’s Comments:
Our friend Pam McKinney in Chicago sent me this one. We have seen similar videos from Rikers Island and other prisons. More outrageous treatment of the mentally ill in America’s new “insane asylums”, the prisons. This article reminds me of the many times I saw guards laughing at the anguish of inmates.
Excerpts from the Article:
Jailhouse video reveals California sheriff’s deputies watching and sometimes laughing as a schizophrenic man who had been strapped naked to a chair for 46 hours writhes on the floor of his cell, loses consciousness and eventually dies. The newspaper said it reviewed more than 100 hours of jailhouse surveillance video in all.
San Luis Obispo County Administrative Officer Wade Horton called the footam Mcage “extremely painful to watch.” “What happened to Andrew Holland was a tragedy that impacts our entire community,” Horton told The Tribune in an email. “Although we can’t bring Andrew back, our county has made and continues to make changes in response to this terrible event.”
Last year, the county awarded Holland’s family $5 million for his death, which a medical examiner determined was caused by a pulmonary embolism.
Holland, 36, had schizophrenia since his early 20s and was incarcerated on and off over the years, usually for minor offenses. He was taken into custody in 2015 on charges of battery, resisting an officer and probation violations. He was strapped into the chair after repeatedly hitting himself.
The video posted on The Tribune’s website shows sheriff’s deputies periodically entering his cell to rotate his arms and legs and offer him food and water. Strapped to the chair, he is unable to use a nearby toilet. County policy requires rotating a restrained inmate’s extremities every 1 ½ to 2 ½ hours to prevent blood clots that can lead to a fatal embolism. The newspaper reported that Holland was released from the chair and moved to another cell so human waste that collected under his chair, and is visible in the video, could be cleaned up. Video of him in the other cell shows him lying on a tile floor with just a blanket. At one point, he stands up briefly, appears to be stricken by tremors and lies down again, covering himself with the blanket. Soon after, he appears to have trouble breathing, then loses consciousness.
Several deputies and paramedics enter the cell and attempt to revive him, while one deputy stands smiling and talking to another.
“We had hope that his life would improve, but on January 22nd of this year, our son Andrew died a brutal and tortured death at the hands of the custodial staff at San Luis Obispo County jail,” Holland’s mother, Sharon, told reporters last July. The family, which has said it will use the settlement money to establish a nonprofit to advocate for the rights of mentally ill people in the criminal justice system, declined to comment further this week.
Contact Us
Citizens for Criminal JUSTICE
430 Kings Hwy
Ste 414
Dover DE 19901
302.423.4067
