Saturday, May 9, 2009

A Rant of Frustration


I am so frustrated right now and upset I could scream! But I have to get this off my chest and I am sorry if this post offends anyone, it isn't meant to.
We are constantly barraged with news on how prisoners being released from jail or prison after they complete their sentence and then wind up right back behind bars. Everyone assumes it is because the person is just a dirt bag, but this isn't always the problem. A HUGE part of the problem is our system and the way it works and I can say this because I have worked in law enforcement and am the parent of a son that was in prison.
Many times as law enforcement goes, it is seriously frustrating to arrest someone, put them in jail and have them out as they say before the ink on the report dries. The system as everyone will say is for the criminals, but that truly isn't the case, it is based on who can afford the best attorney, how much that attorney wants to do the work and fear factors they call plea bargaining.
But, what I dislike is liars! People who work inside the probation, parole or law enforcement fields that blatently lie to someone because it gives them some perverse form of power over those people less fortunate than themselves.
My son has been on unsupervised probation for quite sometime (at least a year) because he is a model probationer. He does everything he is supposed to do. So, when his wife became pregnant he thought they should move to Washington to be closer to us. He contacted his probation officer back in January and he told him and my husband...if our son would catch up on his probation fees, he would put in the paperwork to either have him released from probation or interstate compact him to our neck of the woods.
My son and his wife took all the money they had and put it on his probation fees and caught them up to date. A week later, his probation officer called him and told him, 'sorry, we have lost your prison paperwork and looks like you can't move until you take a class in alcohol or drug education. My son told him he already took the class and he wasn't taking it again. *****People who have Autism like my sons see only black and white in life, no gray areas*****
My son contacted the prison and spoke with the counselor in February and he told him if the probation officer would contact him, he would send him the appropriate information, but he could not release it to my son. I called and was told the same thing. So, we left that information with the probation officer and what did we get? *****2 months of complete SILENCE*****
On April 3rd I sent the PO a letter requesting information on what was going on (I do hold power of attorney from my son), SILENCE! So, on April 16, my husband called the PO since he will not answer my sons call & besides becoming very defensive he told my husband we had to get the information ourselves and my son should just buck up and retake the classes. My husband explained all he needed to do was make a telephone call to get this.
It came down to me sending an email to the prison, the counselor replied within an hour or two and stated NO, the PO had not tried to reach him in any way shape or form and if we could get an Email address for him, he would be glad to send an Email requesting the PO contact him. When we called the PO back...voicemail.
That ticked me off, so I began contacting people in the probation office that could give me the email so I could send it to the prison. No one had it, they didn't know who did, I couldn't talk to a supervisor....within 2 minutes of my last call, the PO called our home and asked my husband why was I trying to get his Email address. My husband basically told him if he wasn't going to do his job and place this on us, we needed his Email address.
Funny, by 1900 hours that evening I received a message from the counselor at the prison that the PO had contacted him and given him his personal and professional Email address. So that was solved or so we thought.
During this period, my DIL had a baby, she is still out on maternity leave due to complications and she called the probation officer yesterday to see about them moving since my mom has cancer. Do you know what she was told?
This arrogant county paid employee told her...my son cannot leave the county, he cannot visit his grandmother as he has put the paperwork in for my son with the courts but it seems my son got behind again in his probation fees and if they are not caught up quickly, he will have no choice but to come out and arrest him for probation violation.
WHAT THE ????? Yes, my son is behind in fees and yes, he owes them, but all this time between January and now nothing happens, we have to force his hand to do his job and contact the prison, my son can't get any of his calls ever returned and now it is.....PAY UP OR PROBATION VIOLATION, DO NOT PASS GO, GO BACK TO PRISON!
And we wonder why these people go back to jail and prison over and over and over again. It isn't because they want to, it is because the system provides them with nothing, no on wants to hire a felon, no one wants a felon living next door, all we want is them out of their way!
How sad a system we have set up for correcting peoples actions!

No comments: