#1Nonfiction: Will Ceci be seduced by ax crimes, buried girls & mushy poems? Will she fall head-over-ass into a forbidden love affair with Jack? Or will she continue down an entirely prudent and reasonable path?
Everything is real.
Everything is tru...
My God, Ceci! It just hit me. Years and years ago on today's date, I drove from Detroit to Boulder to rent an apartment. Then over the next 5 weeks, finished an album, played our last show, quit Legal Services, got married, moved to Colorado, and started law school. All the changes. Since then, all four of my grandparents have passed on. We have kids as old as we were when we met. And Prince died. (I still can't fucking believe Prince is dead).
Thursday, June 30, 2016
Jack
Just finished the sentencing of guy on his 7th felony. At age three, he was taken from his mom by his dad. Dad lied and told him his Mom was dead. He was sexually assaulted by an uncle at 5. Sliced his wrists in Juvy at 11. Finds out his Mom is alive. Reunites with her. Later, Mom loses her job. To pay the bills, Mom becomes his accomplice in a string of car thefts. Both go to prison. From age 18 to 40, he's been out of prison for a total of 7 months. All crimes non-violent.
On his present case, he was picked up for meth and the crime of having a psycho girlfriend who decided to attack the cops. She tried to beat up 5 cops. FIVE COPS! He faced 12 more years of prison. Got the Judge to give 5. Pretty psyched.
Ceci
Just wondering about the costs of programs to help people like this guy compared to the costs of his incarceration.
Jack
Brilliant question.
And I can answer it because the defense bar lobbied for a law that lists the annual cost on every pre-sentence report for every case.
The cost of a Colorado prison sentence to taxpayers is $35,895/year.
Parole, $4,544/year.
Halfway house, $8,621/year.
Probation, $1,583/year.
Ceci
That totals more money than I made last year working.
How sad is that?
Jack
Yeah. Multiply that cost by the fact that we put more of our citizens behind bars than any country on earth. Not only more citizens, we also put a higher percentage of our citizens behind bars than any country on earth.
Does this mean you don't have a fat dowry?
I'm in a conference room with 4 lawyers brainstorming the master plan for the Nancy Grace case, while secretly texting you under the table.
I don't know if suing her for calling an innocent man a "serial killer" ended the Nancy Grace Show, or pathetic ratings. But nice outcome either way. Will Call.
Friday, July 1, 2016
Jack
Soon Friday Beer!
Had a sentencing this afternoon. Third felony conviction. This one for counterfeit traveler's checks. Really spiffy ones with fancy, embossed rainbow color foil. Look real. Roughly 10 years ago, my client was the Colorado state high school 5A wrestling champion. That year, defending his title at the state finals, he was slammed on his head. Knocked out cold, bleeding from his nose and eyes, massive concussion. At the hospital, doctors told him he could never wrestle again. He lost a full ride college scholarship. Doctors did no neurological follow up, but prescribed him Valium and Percocet for the pain.
By that summer, he's using more drugs and prescribed more. When he starts college that fall, he's addicted. He drops out before he completes his first semester. Moves up to OxyContin. Gets his first felony conviction for forging Oxy prescriptions. He can't afford Oxy. He switches to black tar heroin, 2 years smoking, 2 years injecting. Gets second felony when police find him overdosed in his car.
Meets Ashley (the one Ashley that spells her name correctlyt.) She has a longer criminal history than most gang members. Unusual for a chick. And Ash likes Meth. Three months of meth and Ashley, and our guy is cashing fake traveler's checks. Third felony.
We got him into a group home. Got him clean. Three UAs a week. Drug treatment every day. Crystal Meth Anonymous (like AA). Regular full-time job. And he booted Ashley. He was facing prison, but the Judge imposed continued treatment as a mandatory condition of 1 year of probation.
Amazing! I'm a softy and I would have given 2. I hope he stays clean. From age 18 to 32, 14 of his very best years shit-canned by drugs.
At any rate, now it's time for my Friday beer. Happy Fourth of July, Ceci!!
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Photo 1: Addict by Overbook, 2017 (Pixabay #2793133).
