I had a cell mate who took a plea bargain of 7 years to life in 1977. “The matrix” available at the time said he’d be paroled in 14 years if he stayed out of trouble. So he took the deal and he stayed out of trouble. 43 years later, he’s still in prison.
I’m not an expert in this, but my understanding is that people took these indeterminate plea bargains in the 1970’s because the parole board really did let people go home. But then policy changed in the 80’s and folks got stuck behind their plea bargains.
I think it was around that time that the parole board officially ceased focusing on release into the community and became an instrument designed to keep people inside, no matter what. I believe it even changed its name (I’ve tried Googling it but can’t find a history of this).
Does anyone remember what the Board Of Parole Hearings used to be called in California? I feel like it used to have a name that even sounded like it was geared toward rehabilitation.
For the record, I’m saying “I think” and “I believe” a lot because I’m just going off my memory of conversations with folks in prison, conversations that are now more than a decade old.
Please feel free to add whatever knowledge you have on the subject to the conversation - I feel like we’re really lacking public information about how the parole board changed its focus over the years.
Perhaps others can confirm this for me - but I seem to remember my cellie telling me that he also had a set parole date, even though his sentence was 7 years to life. CDCR took that parole date from him sometime in the 80's - signaling the shift in their approach to lifers.
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I see the attacks about Biden’s love for his son and it hurts my heart. I was a drug addict, I was in prison for many years, and the unconditional love from my father was pivotal in my journey out of the darkness. Let me talk about it.
Growing up, my Dad was stern. I used to fear him - not in an abusive sense - but in the sense that he was the disciplinarian. He was also angry, something that I now attribute to being overworked and having a crumbling marriage with my mother.
I was addicted to meth in high school and dropped out. My parents debated whether to send me to rehab before I turned 18 - but my Dad didn’t like the idea of forcibly snatching me up and sending me away.
When I vote, I do my best to consider those most affected by my vote. I try to think of the worst possible consequence of a vote, apply that consequence to myself, and decide if I’d be willing to endure it. If not, the choice is clear.
Part of this practice is recognizing that I, as a straight white man without serious financial troubles, will not bear the greatest burden of any vote cast. Thus, voting is almost entirely an exercise in considering the welfare of others.
And this is essentially the definition of systemic racism / sexism / homophobia / classism: the fact that in any given election, the worst possible consequence for any vote will invariably fall upon those who are not white, not male, not straight, or not rich.
My local leadership is considering scrapping a $390 million jail construction project after seeing that a decreased jail population - down 1/3 since covid - has led to no spike in crime. This is what I like to see.
“If this unintentional pilot program is working, I question whether we need to build a new jail altogether,” Cortese said. That’s @DaveCortese, my local county supervisor. Thank you.
“We know community care is the best model for these patients,” @SupEllenberg said. “We could make a facility light and bright and more therapeutic, but ultimately, it’s still a jail, and we know the jail is not an appropriate environment for rehabilitation.” Again, thank you.
I just learned that a prison guard who I worked alongside for 3 years while incarcerated committed suicide. Despite the complicated guard-prisoner dynamic, this information has shaken me. Nothing is promised and everyone is hiding something.
This man repeatedly tried to get me to snitch on other prisoners until I finally put the kibosh on that. He also caught me masturbating in the shower - more embarrassing for him than me. He was the only guard who ever bought me food when we had to make trips outside the prison.
As is often the case with suicide, I search my memory for signs that something was wrong. He struck me as awkward - someone perpetually uncomfortable with where he was, the skin he was in.
As if #yoga hasn’t been appropriated enough - @Lenovo has a Yoga computer & tablet line-up. Y’all do realize Yoga is one branch of Hinduism, right? That it’s a term for certain Buddhist practitioners? lenovo.com/us/en/yoga/pro…
This squarely falls into the orientalist-capitalist project of exoticizing Western wares with Eastern branding - as if owning a @lenovo Yoga tablet in some way points towards the peace of mind that may result from actually practicing Yoga / meditation.
Trying to imagine similar branding with more familiar religious “branches”. Imagine the Apple Shi’ite or the Samsung Hasid or maybe even the Hewlett Packard Catholic. It’s just ridiculous to me that somebody thought it a fine idea to name things this way.
@kevinchlo This isn't entirely true, and I am speaking as a former incarcerated firefighter. I served on fire crews in prison with men who are now firefighters and fighting fires as we speak. There are obstacles, for sure, but they are not barred because of conviction. Continued...
@kevinchlo There is a program (opened in last few years), specifically designed for paroled firefighters to gain employment with CalFire.
@kevinchlo One of the biggest obstacles to paroled firefighters gaining employment with CalFire or US Forestry is gaining EMT certification, which has been difficult for people with convictions to get. However, CA passed a bill last year that alleviates the restriction for EMT licensure.