Prison Industry Bribes Judges To Get Convicts

[patric]

http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/02/21/pennsylvania.judge.lawsuits

A judge recently convicted for putting juveniles into "for profit" detention centers is being sued, a civil rights attorney said Monday.

The former Luzerne County judge was found guilty Friday of 12 of 39 racketeering and fraud charges for accepting millions of dollars in bribes from friends who owned detention centers to which he sent juveniles.

Sandy Fonzo's 17-year-old son, Edward Kenzakowski, spent six months in a detention center after Ciavarella sentenced him for possession of drug paraphernalia.
According to Fonzo, her son, who had no prior record, was never able to recover and eventually took his own life.

Could this also be why Oklahoma's private prisons are #1 nationally for locking up women?

[Conan71]

I recently read stats somewhere that drugs was not a major reason for women being in prison in Oklahoma.  When I get more time tomorrow I'll try and look it up.  My first reaction has always been most are there for drugs.

[Red Arrow]

We seem to be more concerned that we have women in prison than why we have women in prison.  It's as though it is unacceptable to put women in prison whereas it is perfectly acceptable to put men in prison.  Double standard?

[guido911]

Sorry. Couldn't resist.

[DolfanBob]

Oh good Lawd Guido. Watch one Female episode of Lockup or Lockdown and that impression of Adult fantasy will be burned out of your mind forever. And I mean "WOOF" !

[Nik]

I recently read stats somewhere that drugs was not a major reason for women being in prison in Oklahoma.  When I get more time tomorrow I'll try and look it up.  My first reaction has always been most are there for drugs.

From a 2006 study: http://www.doc.state.ok.us/offenders/ocjrc/94/940650L.HTM

"Nationally a startling 41 percent of all women in prison are incarcerated for a violent offense. Among our sample, 26 percent are imprisoned for a violent offense. In contrast, one out of eight (12.5 percent) women nationally were serving time for drug offenses, while in our sample over two out of three were serving time for drug violations (36 percent). This indicates that drug offenses are a substantial contributor to women's imprisonment in Oklahoma. To reiterate, in our sample, drug offenses are more often the reason for incarceration than are violent offenses. This is in clear contrast to the national pattern for women inmates in which violent offenses are more than three times as likely as drug offenses to be the reason for incarceration."

[patric]

Seven out of 10 women in Oklahoma prisons are behind bars for nonviolent offenses. Currently, Oklahoma has the highest female incarceration rate in the nation.
Staggering figures Legislator, Kris Steele hopes to reverse.

Steele wants to keep nonviolent offender mothers out of prison and with their families.

This is a pro-family issue," said Steele, R-Shawnee. "Taking these women out of their homes for nonviolent crimes is disruptive to the family unit, and often leads to an inter-generational pattern of crime that could be stopped or deterred with appropriate in-home rehabilitative services at the outset. These services will also save the state money over the long-term in comparison to the tangible and intangible costs of incarceration."

House Bill 2998 unanimously passed House committee Monday. Next, the bill will be considered by the full budget committee.

http://www.fox23.com/news/local/story/Bill-to-Reduce-Number-of-Women-in-Prison/-_HVNex5j0iof1dyxDdv0g.cspx?rss=77&CFID=5441576&CFTOKEN=88150498

That was one year ago...

[Conan71]

Seven out of 10 women in Oklahoma prisons are behind bars for nonviolent offenses. Currently, Oklahoma has the highest female incarceration rate in the nation.
Staggering figures Legislator, Kris Steele hopes to reverse.

Steele wants to keep nonviolent offender mothers out of prison and with their families.

This is a pro-family issue," said Steele, R-Shawnee. "Taking these women out of their homes for nonviolent crimes is disruptive to the family unit, and often leads to an inter-generational pattern of crime that could be stopped or deterred with appropriate in-home rehabilitative services at the outset. These services will also save the state money over the long-term in comparison to the tangible and intangible costs of incarceration."

House Bill 2998 unanimously passed House committee Monday. Next, the bill will be considered by the full budget committee.

http://www.fox23.com/news/local/story/Bill-to-Reduce-Number-of-Women-in-Prison/-_HVNex5j0iof1dyxDdv0g.cspx?rss=77&CFID=5441576&CFTOKEN=88150498

That was one year ago...

I'm guessing a lot of the fraud cases were probably hot check writers.  Curious how many of those wound up in those circumstances trying to make ends meet in spite of a deadbeat dad or dads not paying child support.  Do we really need to lock up bad check writers (within reason)?  Seems like they should stay on the outside, work to pay back restitution, and raise their own children.  Seems kind of counter-intuitive for tax payers to wind up paying for meals and housing AND to have someone else raise her kids.

Probation, restitution, and "out patient" treatment is a far better social and economic alternative.

[Townsend]

I'm guessing a lot of the fraud cases were probably hot check writers.  Curious how many of those wound up in those circumstances trying to make ends meet in spite of a deadbeat dad or dads not paying child support.  Do we really need to lock up bad check writers (within reason)?  Seems like they should stay on the outside, work to pay back restitution, and raise their own children.  Seems kind of counter-intuitive for tax payers to wind up paying for meals and housing AND to have someone else raise her kids.

Probation, restitution, and "out patient" treatment is a far better social and economic alternative.

Another reason to get rid of bail bonds.

http://www.npr.org/2010/01/21/122725771/Bail-Burden-Keeps-U-S-Jails-Stuffed-With-Inmates

[Teatownclown]

And for something totally sick!

http://potimusprime.com/legislature/oklahoma-bill-mandates-life-sentence-for-making-hashish

Oklahoma Senators passed a bill Wednesday (yeah, on 4/20) that would mandate a sentence up to life in prison for creating hashish out of marijuana. Now that the measure has been approved by the Senate (the House had already approved), it must circle back to the lower chamber for a final vote.

House Bill 1798, spearheaded and sponsored by the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, institutes new felony laws for converting marijuana into hash. First-time convictions could warrant a $50,000 fine and prison sentence of two years to life, while second or subsequent convictions would net doubled penalties.

Oklahoma legislative analysts said the bill would cost the state $56 per day, or more than $20,000 a year, for each day someone is imprisoned. At that rate, if Oklahoma imprisoned five hash makers for 10 years each, the bill to taxpayers would be one million dollars.


SHEESH!

[patric]

http://potimusprime.com/legislature/oklahoma-bill-mandates-life-sentence-for-making-hashish

Since traces of hashish result anytime marijuana burns, it essentially creates a potential life sentence for even casual pot use.  If you want to fill up prisons fast, that's the ticket.

Ive never been able to understand why OBNDD is so obsessed with pot that it prioritizes it over truly dangerous drugs like meth.

[heironymouspasparagus]

Dolfan,
That's the magic glasses he wears painting that picture of female prisoners.  You can hear the distortion that introduces into the rest of his life, too, from the posts here.

Caged Heat is to Prison Women reality,
as
RWRE views are to life reality.

[heironymouspasparagus]

Nationwide we spend over $18 billion per year for incarceration of marijuana related convictions.  That does not include the arrest, trial or any of the process leading up to that incarceration, or the probation related expenses after release.

Does anyone really believe there is any hope for this state??

[DolfanBob]

The one thing that always has amazed me is the amount of money spent on taking care of the incarcerated.
And then turn around and say the State is going broke trying to pay the DOC officers and they start laying off and wanting to shut down some of the facilities.

[Conan71]

Ive never been able to understand why OBNDD is so obsessed with pot that it prioritizes it over truly dangerous drugs like meth.

That's a good point.  Meth carries a far higher societal and health cost and a meth lab exposes far more dangerous to innocent people than a pot field.