“Many of the staff in these places act in a criminal, cruel, and negligent manner. The inmates who attempt to stand up for themselves are almost always retaliated against. Hopelessness and despair are what they learn. Imagine spending decades being treated this way? I have seen the most confident of men be reduced to a timid hand shy individual who can not make a single decision without first asking staff. I wonder what will become of such men once they are released? A caged animal without the restraints of prison staff let loose on the world. Is this what they mean by preparing inmates for their return into society?”
Archive for the ‘Prisons’ Category
Another False Accusation — from Shane Crum
Tuesday, March 23rd, 2021Justice Still Denied for Victims of Day Care Sex Abuse Witch Trials
Friday, March 12th, 2021
fongbeerredhot/Shutterstock.com
“But before human rights groups here and in Europe focus their attention far in the past and far afield, they would do well to seek apologies, restitution, and justice for the victims of witch hunts much closer in time and space: victims of the sex abuse in day care hysteria that in the 1980s and early ’90s swept the U.S. (and manifested itself to a much lesser extent in Canada, New Zealand, and Europe). One victim, Frank Fuster, remains in prison. He has now served 36 years of a sentence of six life terms and 165 years. (In 2014 the Florida Parole Commission sent him a letter telling him his initial parole interview was scheduled in 120 years.) All this for crimes that existed only in the fevered imagination of his accusers.”
Read the article by Rael Jean Isaac in The American Spectator.
Shane Crum – Prison Programs are Essential
Monday, March 8th, 2021“When I first came to Marion Correctional Institution, there were so many programs and things for inmates to do that I stayed busy throughout the day. I would get up at 5:30, get dressed, have a cup of coffee, brush my teeth and hair, and be out the door by 6:30. I would stay gone until count time around 10:30, and would leave again by about 11:30 for chow. I would stay gone until the next count time at around 3:30 and leave again at 4:30 for chow, and not come back to my lock until around 8:00. I would get a shower, grab a bite to eat, and get some sleep to start all over the next day.”
A prison post from Shane Crum – My Wounded Spirit
Sunday, February 14th, 2021“I have noticed that when you are charged with the crimes I have been, people treat you like you are less than human. Who wants to spend time getting to know a person who has committed crimes against a child? I explain I am innocent and attempt to show the evidence. They just do not want to waste their time. Especially when the grand prize is a friendship or intimate relationship with someone like that. I cannot win.
“It does not help that the whole of society acts this way. I am not found of people who harm children. Yet, my experience tells me, I cannot say who those people might be. I have been convicted of just such a crime, and there has never been any kind of evidence to suggest a crime occurred. Let alone the idea I am guilty. I have no doubt, that when you meet me, you would never guess I have been convicted of such a crime, much less being capable of committing it.”
Pretending Prisoners are Patients
Wednesday, February 10th, 2021From the Dobbs Wire. if you want to join The Dobbs Wire email list or have something to say: info@thedobbswire.com Twitter: @thedobbswire
“Twenty states, the District of Columbia, and the federal government have laws that authorize civil commitment of sex offenders who would otherwise be released after serving their prison terms. The Supreme Court upheld the practice in 1997, saying it was appropriate for people who “suffer from a volitional impairment rendering them dangerous beyond their control.”
“That logic is puzzling. The state punishes people who commit sex crimes based on the assumption that they could and should have controlled themselves. But when it is time for them to be released after completing the punishment prescribed by law, the state says that was not actually true; now they must be locked up precisely because they can’t control themselves.”
Injustice Behind Bars — a new prison post from Shane Crum
Sunday, January 31st, 2021“My last couple of post were failed attempts to convey just how difficult it is for me to accept harsh treatment, and how O.D.R.C. staff apply their rules unequally. Try to imagine being punished for something you not only did not do, but something that obviously never occurred. Imagine being punished with individuals who have done things.”
Judge orders Austin babysitter Rosa Jimenez freed from prison, questions guilt
Wednesday, January 27th, 2021
laura skelding
State District Judge Karen Sage made the ruling after a 2½-hour hearing Tuesday afternoon in which three top pediatric airway specialists testified that 21-month-old Bryan Guttierez most likely swallowed, on his own, the compacted mass of paper towels that led to his death — and that there was no way Jimenez could have forced the wad down the boy’s throat, as prosecutors argued at her 2005 trial.
“I do not believe that Ms. Jimenez should spend another night in jail if it can be prevented,” Sage said.
Read the full article by Chuck Lindell in the Austin America-Statesman.
A Prison Post from Shane Crum: Giving Thanks
Monday, December 14th, 2020“When inmates discuss the conditions of their confinement, it always appears they are simply complaining. Some people would tell them “not to come to prison, and they would not have anything to complain about”. Truth is, they have more to complain about than they should. The quality and content of the food, health care, recreation and library being closed far too often, the way big business exploits inmates and their families, and the way most staff treat us as throw away humans. I am sure there are many other issues I could list here, but that is not the purpose of this post. In fact, I do not want to sound like I am complaining about anything. Rather, I want to talk about some of the positive things that happen in prison. More to the point, I want to express my gratitude toward the individuals who have helped me over the years.”
A very important message from Bill Dobbs
Monday, October 19th, 2020The Dobbs Wire: Time sensitive request. Do you have a friend or loved one who is locked up in jail, prison or a sex offense civil commitment facility? They may be eligible for a $1,200 stimulus payment and not know it, or unsure what to do. Please send them information and forms so they get a chance at a check like everyone else! Get the materials to them quickly as time is short. For individuals who need to file a form to get a payment, the postmark deadline for paper filings is Nov. 4. For those with internet access the deadline for online filings is Nov. 21.
The IRS had been falsely claiming incarcerated individuals were not eligible for payments. A class action lawsuit exposed what the IRS was doing and there’s important news – a federal court has ordered the IRS to stop interfering with the checks and start making the payments. Now the information needs to get inside as soon as possible.
Here’s the list of what to send –
- A note or letter. This can be brief, let them know you’re sending materials so they can take action if they wish and to make sure they know about the Nov. 4 deadline.
- Frequently Asked Questions. Details from lawyers for the class action. Print on both sides of the paper if possible, here’s the link: https://www.lieffcabraser.com/pdf/CARES_CASE_FAQ.pdf
- Sample IRS Form 1040 with notations explaining how to fill out a blank form. Print on both sides of the paper if possible, here’s the link: https://www.lieffcabraser.com/pdf/updated_1040.pdf
- IRS Form 1040 – for those who need to file a form, this is the one that gets filled out. Print on both sides of the paper if possible, here’s the link: https://www.lieffcabraser.com/pdf/EIP_Form_no_color.pdf
# # #
The best website for information and updates, set up by lawyers for the class action: CARES Act Prison Case – https://caresactprisoncase.org/
Below are some news stories about the case. There’s a big push around the country on this, your help is needed and appreciated.
–Bill Dobbs, The Dobbs Wire If you would like to join The Dobbs Wire email list, drop us a line: info@thedobbswire.com We’re on Twitter: @thedobbswire
NOTE – some of these stories were written before the court extended the postmark deadline to November 4.
Detroit Free Press | Oct. 19, 2020
Nov. 4 deadline near for prisoners to apply for COVID-19 stimulus checks
Los Angeles Times | Oct. 12, 2020
Federal stimulus checks must go to prison inmates, U.S. judge in California rules
New York Times | Oct. 15, 2020
Prisoners cannot be denied virus relief payments, a judge rules.
Prison Policy Initiative | Oct. 5, 2020
Update: Court says IRS can’t deny economic stimulus payments to incarcerated people.
https://www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2020/10/05/checks-update/
Excellent background
The Appeal | July 8, 2020
Prisoners Face ‘Undue Punishment” as the IRS Claws Back Their Stimulus Checks
Politicians and advocates say the IRS is illegally denying CARES Act payments to incarcerated people.
https://theappeal.org/prisoners-stimulus-checks/
A prison post from Shane Crum: The Staff
Monday, September 28th, 2020When I began my incarceration back in 1996, the staff were professional, non-biased, and knew the O.A.C.s and O.D.R.C. Policies that governed their jobs. In essence, they knew the rules they had to follow. Gradually, this changed, and in no way for the better. Today, staff members like sergeant (correctional counselor) Stephanie Craft are of the false belief they can do what ever they want to inmates. I wish I could tell you she is among the few who act this way. Truth is, the old guard is slowly disappearing.
These staff mistreat inmates in every possible way they can, and then act incredulous when the inmate calls them on it, or asks their superior to intervene. It is rather amazing just how bewildered they are that “an inmate” could ever question anything they say or do. How dare they! If you actually have the heart to stand up for yourself, staff like Craft begin threatening you, having their peers harass you, will try to get you fired from your institutional jobs, moving you to the locks where all the chaos is, and a host of other things.
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