May 6, 2019, 11:48 am
If you’re Republican/Libertarian/Conservative, you hate to see your tax dollars wasted by politicians and government employees playing games. If you’re a Democrat/Liberal, chances are you feel strongly about social (in)justices. If you fit any one of these categories read on…
Tallahassee man with decades of alcoholism addiction is in a 20 year relationship that ends. There is a small child from the relationship. There is a separation and in the alcohol induced emotions the man sends multiple text messages to his ex-common-law-wife. She files an injunction and during that hearing the judge orders the parents communicate about the young child on the state app, Talking Parents. This is to relay emergency info or arrange supervised visitation. The court granted a no-contact injunction. No contact was made, however this made the man homeless. He bummed around on the streets for several days and then, while no one was home, he decided to break into his old house to shower and shave and leave before anyone got home. The back door was damaged and the ex called the police. Naturally, I agree this was a stupid move! He was arrested for aggravated stalking and did ten months in Leon County Jail coming out with several years of probation ordered.
The court also imposed supervised visitation but he was to see his child regularly. For a year I was the supervisor for said visits. Each time the meeting took place the mother never left and stayed cordial the entire time. I made friends with the mother as well.
During the first 13 months of life after jail the man complied with probation and had no violations. After almost a year of sobriety he relapsed and started drinking again. His depression spiraled. He was homeless and stayed at the Kearney Center. He worked day labor until he saved enough to go to a boarding house on Monroe at $89 a week. Still depression lingered. Last summer after attempting suicide, swallowing 17 pills, he was taken by LEO under Baker Act. Upon release he tried and tried to get control of his life but felt he had nothing to live for.
Battling this depression and trying to stay sober, he is biking to day labor every day and working hard. He’s saving money and contributing to society. WORKING. PAYING TAXES. One morning on the way to work he gets hit by a car on Apalachee Pkwy. Broke 5 ribs and bruised a lung. He is treated and discharged to go back to the one room in a boarding house with no family, no future, no bike, and now unable to work and physically injured. Three days of pain pills were no match for five broken ribs. He started self-medicating with alcohol again.
He just drank constantly and cried constantly. He asked his probation officer, his 5th probation officer in less than a year, if he could move to South FL and transfer probation to have a new start down there. He had friends he could stay with. The probation officer agreed. He went to South FL and then came back to find out he has a new, now 6th probation officer that said she is denying his transfer no matter what his prior officer said. At the end of his rope and ready to die, he checked himself into a rehab center in South FL. He was 69 days sober and doing great in rehab when they came and arrested him.
Now back in Leon County Detention Facility on a VOP charge. He has not committed a new crime. He did 13 months of probation. He was voluntarily in a rehab facility to better himself. The state attorney here wants over two years in prison for said violation. There are alternatives the state could pursue. The state could remand the offender to rehab and reinstate his probation as he has already served over 220 days in jail and 13 months on paper.
What will that do? What good will it do? Will the community be safer? Will his 4 year old be better off not seeing daddy until age 6? Will his future be better for it? Will the state of Florida be safer or feel better knowing that someone is locked up for being in rehab and not checking in to probation? Will this person be healed of depression, anger, alcoholism? Will the problems that led to the addiction go away inside prison? He doesn’t even score for prison! The DA handing this case is refusing to discuss any other options and is trying to force 2.5 years in prison. The prosecutor will not speak to me, although I’ve been involved since his release from Leon County. She is not responding to the public defender to even send his score sheet.
Who foots the bill? We do! It costs an average of $22,000 to house an inmate in DOC for one year. For 2.5 years we’re looking at $56,000 to tax payers. As a tax payer, is this how you want your money spent? This man has not one but TWO programs he is accepted at that are free to him and the tax payer. Do you want restoration or incarceration? Incarceration will only kick the can down the road and we’ll need MORE services later. Let’s lock up people we’re afraid of, not people we’re mad at.
Why does judicial circuit 2 have the highest conviction rates in the state? We run about 20% higher than the rest of our state in putting people in our system because previously Willie Megs and now Jack Campbell want to look “Tough on Crime” and they are the leaders on “Public Safety.” Unless people go through it or have a loved one go through it, they just don’t see it. Once you see it you can say something. You can call your elected leaders and demand change.
Cases like this are why we have 5% of the world’s population and 25% of the world’s prison population
The post Member Submission – Why we need justice reform and why you should care. appeared first on Florida Action Committee.
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