Whadda maroon, whadda ignoranimous!

FWIW, I'll say thank you for doing your civic duty. I know it's worth about as much (or less) than the what, $28 they gave you?

I agree, what a waste of time and lots of money to prove the obvious. I keep trying to remember thats what democracy and justice demands. There must have been some humor value in the whole thing. There usually is . . .

 

I have a good buddy that seems to have hit the lotto on this jury duty experience more than his fair share. He actually has some pretty wild stories but finally got sick and tired of having to do it again. The last time they called him and went through the interrogatories he responded to one question with "if the police arrested him, he must have been doing something wrong". Seems that's all you really have to say to immediately get to go home, if you're so inclined.

BTW, like the Bugs Bunny reference! Got me to check out your thread.

 

Jeff, i had a very similar thing happen to me when I was a Correctional Officer. I had just been on the job for maybe 5 weeks when I came across an inmate (whom I didn't recognize from the outside) but who recognized me. Anyway, I wa a newby and didn't fully know all i should have known. We were short-handed-as usual-this was the beginning of Dec-and everybody was trying to be in the Christmas mood. Well, I was a "Rover" that day in A5-8 dorm-known as the "crybaby" dorm.

I was almost through passing out the mail and in A8-when the inmate in bunk 11, came over to grab it's mail. It then said loudly-hey-I know you-your from Kingsville-to which that kind of info to inmates is as valuable as a pound of Platinum. I looked at it and said no-you don't know me. By that time, it had walked back to it's "house" followed by several other inmates and the sob was chattering away. Well, being new-I didn't realize that I was supposed to immediately leave the dorm to report this to a supervisor-but I stayed in the dorm to finish passing out the mail.

Well, during that time-that inmate came back over to the table I was at still passing out the mail-and made a comment to the tune of: "They accused me of assaulting his Girlfriend" (the sorry sob kidnapped and raped my then-girlfriend-threatening to shoot her if she didn't do as it said. I automatically then know who that slimeball was. I had finished passing out the mail-stood up looked at the sorry sob-and said: "The only way you can get laid-is by kidnapping and raping someone." Which I should not have said-and that immediately told all the other inmates what that slimball was in for.

This freak of nature had been in and out of prison like it had a revolving door-and most of its prison time was because of rape. The rape it committed before this one-was the 2 year old daughter of its former girlfriend.

To amke a long story short-I left the dorm-it tried to escape through the metal door-but failed after I almost caught its arm in the doorjam-which I had really intended to do my best at breaking it, called for a supervisor (a Sergeant) camer operator and back-up-which is standard procedure when an inmate threatens an Officer.

Fast forward about 2 weeks, and they had shipped its worthless self all the way to the Oklahoma border area where the Roach Unit is, and they held on Dec 16-2006-its Court date. I had to "appear" by proxy and I was called and listened to everything on the phone. This fool decided to represent itsself-very foolish to say the least. It tried to build a picture that I had gone and got a job as a CO at the Garza West unit in Beeville-where three other such facilities are located) just so I could be a guard and legally be ably to kill the jerk if I wanted. Oh course everybody knew that was all BS to the extreme. For one-when I graduated-I had put in that I would work at any unit state wide-which at that time-numbered to any of the trhen, 103 State of Texas Dept of Corrections-facilities-and also in which, I do not have any say-so in which facility I would be employed at-unless I had picked only one unit location.

Anyway, before the inmate rally stuck its foot into its own mouth way up to the knee, its case against me quicjkly fell apart and it saw that it was losing its case-so it did itself in even more by threatening to kill me when it finally got out of prison. The presiding Judge then asked me and told me I didn't have to-but asked if I wanted to make a statement towards the inmate. I told him I did, and I merely said that if it ever came to my door-it will be met not only by me-but by a few friends of mine like Mr. Smith, Mr. Wesson, Mr. Colt, Mr Mauser-well-you get the picture. Needless to say-slimeball talked it's way into another several year sentence behind bars.

 

Jeff, thanks for doing the jury duty, I know it can be boring as all get out in many instances. I'm glad you were able to find at least some comic relief in the thing. I have been called twice in little 'ole Billings fer God's sake, the first one I was actually ineligible as I knew the defendent personally, if the prosecution had known what I knew and felt about him they would have kept me, but the defense would have thrown me out. I knew the guy, but figured his burglary charge was just "right up his alley" knowing his past behavior.

The other time I made it onto the panel, but then both defendants took a plea so all we got were "Thanks for you time" from the judge. Still, I didn't really try to dodge either call.

 

Hang on, the bloke was shot as he tried to escape, who was on trial? Him or the bloke that shot him (not saying the guy that shot him should be punished, just a tad confused)?

 

coupon credit?

 

Yeah, like "S & H Green Stamps", except in this case, "shoot & hang"! (Sorry, couldn't help myself . . . I know, that's bad . . .)

 

I wonder if a "second life sentence" might not mean that the "gentleman" would serve the second one if he became eligible for parole on the first one, and won? Then the other would kick in and he would be right back where he started. I dunno, that would make at least a modicum of sense.

Even Charlie Manson comes up for parole every seven years or so, and the California parole board has to go through the motions of giving him a hearing and turning him down.

 

I think it depends on whether the additional sentence is concurrent or consecutive. I never really understood the logic behind concurrent sentences.

 

Ah right, that makes sense, cheers Jeff.

 

Same thing here in Texas. If an inmate tries or takes hosteges and or tries or does escape-if you were a Picket Guard-you were EXPECTED to use as many rounds of ammo possible-to keep that inmate from escaping or taking hostages.

I had only been working for the State for maybe 6 months when Garze East (we at Garza West nicknamed them: "Garza-Easy" because under Major Jackson (whom we nick-named Major Jacka$$) they had many escapes. You might have heard of the Texas Seven? Well, all of them escaped from Major Jackson after he had been transferred to a Maximum Security unit near San Antonio-because of the escapes that happened under his watch-at Garza Easy. Well, instead of firing the SoB-he got promoted over Warden-and was made ths Supervisor (Stuporvisor) in charge of Region 4-which has at last count some 30% of all Texas State Prison Facilities.

ANyway, if your assigned outside Picket Duty-the only place where guards are allowed to cary firearms-your expected to shoot to kill-simply that. Well when the first escape I was involved in as a newby-was successful because of Major Jackson and his stupidity and laziness. Thanks to that first ONE inmate to escape-Texas Tax-payers had to pay almost 100 million in extra taxes-because of this stupid jerk. This was to pay for overtime for all of us guards-almost state-wide, as well as for paying back other Law ENforcement Agencies for their participation-such as The SHeriffs Dept, local and other State and County Agencies and Federal agencies-like the Border Patrol, and such. Also had to pay for equipment used as well as hunting dogs, horses helicopters and all kinds of other stuff. All of this ws spent in about 5 days.

Anyway, how the actual escape happened was mostly to be the blame of Major Jackson and his stupid policies. There never would have been a successful escape had the proper personnel be placed in the perimeter pickets to begin with. Over on the "West" side-where I worked, the only people allowed to be placed in the pickets especially picket 3 and 4-your uty was to have on you or in your hands the entire shift-an Ar-15-loaded and round chambered, a .357 Magnum six-shooter, and also a loaded Shotgun nearby. If there wer any mass movements anywhere in the "Bowling Alley" all Perimeter Picket Guards were supposed to be out on the walkway the full time-with weapons in hand. All except Picket one who was usually busy at that time letting the Civilian Employees leave the unit.

Anyway, that inmate escaped because Major Jackson used the Perimeter Picket posts as Punishment duty. Garze west did not-which is partly why they have never had an escape or even escape attempts made. The inmates there KNOW full well that they will be killed if they tried escaping and they fully know that the only people in the Perimeter Pickets-are Vets, Former other Agency Officers-or those who were great shots-like I was ;-)) When I got picket duty-which was about half the time I worked for the State-I was given mostly picket 3, and sometimes picket 2.

The picket officers on the night of the escape were two females-picket 1 and picket 4. Both from their views-could and should have stopped that inmate dead in his tracks. However-they didn't.

Pickets not only have a telephone, but Stentaphone as well as loud-speakers. The two officers being "punished" by Major Jackass-saw the full escape go down. Both were inside their pickets and this happened just after 9PM. They both were yakking on the Stentaphone when the Inmate burst out of B-5-8 Dorm-carrying a few extr matresses, coats and other clothes. The extra clothes were to help keep him from being cut to shreads climbing the Concertina wire as well as the THREE Barbedwire Fences he had to climb over to get outside the unit.

The picket officer comversation (which was taped) went something like this: "(picket 4 officer) Oh my God, do you see what I see? Someone is throwing matresses on and over the rec-yard fence (fence Nr 1)

Picket one officer: "I think your supposed to shoot him>"
Picket 4 "Im not going to shoot him-YOU shoot him."
Picket one: "Well if your not going to shoot him, neither am I."

While this was going on-the inmate (after finally being recaptured abput 2 years later) sai that he expected to be fired on by picket 4-and after climbing over the first fence-he actually layed doan on the ground. After waiting a few seconds-he got up aith the remaining matresses and clothing he was carrying and wearing-ran to fence Nr 2, did the samething threw the last two matresses over the first three rows of Concertina Wire-and climbed over that fence. Now he was in what they call the Perimeter Chase-which is just barely wide enough to drive mid sized truch through) and since noone was firing-he threw the last mattress over the next three strands of Concertina-slimbed over the last fence and didn't get many cuts because of wearing three coats and a few shirts and pants. The guy rn towards the highway where he was to be picked up by whomever he was going to meet-but also knew where they had stashed some civilain clothes for hi to put on-before making his way to their getaway van.

The guard at the Main Entrance to the two Garzas-couldn't see nor have known of the escape attempt because of where he was located-which is much nearer to Garza West-than East and also because those two BIMBOS-did not report the escapt for several minutes. Also, all three Officers woking in B-5-8, dropped the ball and did not report the escape. The Picket Officer should never have allowed the magnitic doors to stay unlocked-which is easy to do-if someone does not pull it closed or if the two Rovers don't do their work and make their rounds checking these things-which is more often the case.

The inmate approached the entrance guard hut wearing the civvy clothes-and actually told the guard that he had been stranded out here after Visitation was over and was waiting to be picked up. Alarm nr 1-for the Guard-should have been DUH-visitation ended at 5PM-and this was after the 9PM count and the guy should NOT have been there regardless had he really been left there on visitation.

All in all, those two Picket Guards, the Entrance Guard and I think the B-5-8 Picket guard-were all fired and rightfully so. The two B-5-8 Rovers only got written up-which is less than a slap on the hand.

Now in the case of a hostage being taken. It is State Policy that no hostages were allowed to be taken-let alone used as a SHield for the Inmate to escape. This means that the hostage can easily be killed while trying to kill said inmate.