Everyone is familiar with the terminology used by those who are unfortunate enough to be incarcerated. Words that come to mind are, “caught up in the system” or “trapped.”
We lightheartedly shrug these terms to the side with the mind-set that if you weren’t dumb enough to get caught in the first place then you wouldn’t be in this situation.
Blame this on the fact that the majority of the population will never have to deal with anything greater than traffic court. In turn, they cannot have a true understanding of what it is like to be arrested and the process that follows.
What I want is for people to have is a greater understanding of the entire judiciary process that individuals must hurdle in order to revive their social status according to Uncle Sam. After an occurrence where you are cited, one of two things will happen depending on the severity of the infraction.
The first scenario is you will be issued a citation and court date and sent on your merry way. The second situation is you will be asked to step from the vehicle, placed in restraints (don’t wiggle or your once small “charge” will turn into several volts) and escorted to the spacious back seat of a police cruiser.
I want to pause right here and propose the question, does anybody actually know specifically what actions a police officer can and cannot take? If I were a betting man I would say that more people don’t than do and that would be a tremendous understatement in itself.
If you were unlucky and received the second fate then you will be accompanied to a county or city detention facility where you will be spend what seems to be an eternity in what is commonly referred to as the “drunk tank” or holding cell. Depending on the day of the week and time you check in you could be sharing a 10 x 10 room with two concrete benches and a toilet/drinking fountain with up to six people, possibly more.
Never fear, you won’t be able to sleep due to the shear uncomfortable realization that the concrete is not as soft as your Tempurpedic back home.
Whenever the station gets caught up or whenever they feel like it, you’ll have to opportunity to make a phone call to notify a loved one or bondsman of your circumstance. And there is no greater deterrent than the bafflement branded into your conscience knowing that you have disappointed your loved ones.
After paying a bondsman 10 percent of your total bond, which is usually no less that $200, you will be released and scheduled to appear before a judge in general sessions court. Once again, depending on the severity of the situation, you may choose to get a lawyer whose services range anywhere from $500 to $5,000. If you can’t afford a lawyer, one will be provided for you, right? It depends on your income expense form and in most circumstances you won’t get it for free.
What makes me an authority on the situation? I am speaking from experience.
I was recently charged with a DUI and if you think you can beat it without the assistance of a lawyer, think again. Borrow Dennis Kucinich’s pocket constitution and study well because if you think of uttering something besides guilty, not guilty, or no contest then you’ll be silenced and could be held in contempt of court just for trying to state your case.
When the dust clears you are left with a penalty. In this case of a DUI you are assesed a penalty of $1,000, revocation of your license for a calender year, put on probation for a year, and possibly prescribed an alcohol assessment or a series of alcohol awareness classes more commonly known as the 12-step program.
The program features 12 weeks of class, with a fee, where you complete one chapter of a notebook a week and go over it with the instructor the following meeting. If allowed to work ahead, a junior high student could complete in maybe two weeks. The book allows you to state your illness but does nothing to address it orgive you the assistance to treat and overcome it. All the class is for seems to be money and keeping tabs on you hoping you’ll fail a drug test and repeat the class so you can be fined yet again.
In no absolute shape, form, or fashion am I condoning my infractions of the law. The real lesson I learned came from a friend who told me that drinking and driving was a selfish act in that I was not considering innocent civilians on the road and was endangering the lives of others. This also made me feel a great deal of guilt and regret.
I have a good friend who argues the fines and restrictions are supposed to be the key deterrent in changing your outlook on disobedience. But what effect does this have on someone to whom money is but an object? I am not monetarelly wealthy by any stretch of the imagination.
I firmly believe that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle that it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. If money is the sacrifice the government wants, let them buy a new fountain for its corridors or a bigger office for the judge. It’s starting to look like crime does pay, and pretty damn well at that.
My intent of this article is not to muckrake but to expose the flaws in the system, and challenge the respective government officials to propose a solution.
I have confidence that a psychologist would concur that these fines, restrictions and probations, nothing but animosity is generated towards the government, which in turn increases the likelihood of repeat offenses.
Government assistance should mean suppling people with means to overcome their problems, not taking your time and property which only adds pressure to a life that is obviously already in turmoil.
Althougth I have a few ideas, I have no concrete solution. But with any luck, these luster lacking ideas could turn into something that gives offenders a chance at reformation instead of labeling and condemning them for the rest of their life.

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