Every once in a while @washingtonpost gets on this "omg prisoners have MONEY!" panic attack. That's stupid. Here's why. If people put $1000 on your books so they don't have to pay Western Union fees each month, the BOP will up your FRP payments. /1 🪡

wapo.st/3zXeSYj FRP = Financial Responsibility Plan aka Restitution.
They say "20" inmates have more than $100k on their accounts. This is FAR from typical. Many inmates subsist solely on their 12-35 cents an hour jobs. "Trust Fund ballooned because stimulus payments" they say... /2

For the record, that’s because the guidelines are nonsensical thanks to various enhancements for such things as renting hotel rooms where deals happen, ad housing insecure drug users / dealers do. Most dealers are not Scarface. As an example, my guidelines recommended life. /1 🪡

https://twitter.com/KevinARing/status/1554316121951686657

I was a first time non violent offender. I had two speeding tickets on my record. No one died in my case. No one was even hurt, bullied, threatened, harassed, or intimidated. I was given a “leader and organizer” enhancement, despite that I never ordered anyone to do anything. /2

I tracked down my former defense atty to tell him I got into law school. This is the guy who, when my in laws threatened to fire him because they were trying to bully me into accepting a garbage plea deal, replied "You can't fire me! I don't represent you. I represent her!" /1 They retorted they would not be paying him. He shot back "So don't. She can come back and work it off as my paralegal when she gets out. I'll still be here!" (He has 8 kids. He's not retiring. Ever. 🤣) /2

Today I spoke to a woman on HC who was sent by her HH to do TDAP programming. This is the outpatient part of the BOP's RDAP program which people do when they are in HH or on HC. She was happy about this because it was something to do and fulfilled a sentencing requirement. /1 So she goes on her first day and it was a whole situation. Her monitor was scrambled because of the building where the TDAP is held (same thing as happened to Gwen Levi). Luckily her CM called the place and verified she was there, spoke to her, etc... but it was scary. /2

PSA: It is best to not have a college degree-- OF ANY KIND-- no tech school no vocational school no nothing-- if you are wanting to earn FSA credit. You will NOT receive credit for Unicor, you will NOT be eligible for apprenticeships, because "work" will NOT be considered a need. This is a thing REGARDLESS of your actual employment history. So if you got an art history degree in 2001 & spent the next two decades being a drug dealer? Tough. If you were a lawyer & need a new job? You won't get FSA cred for learning any new skills. BOP: stingy AF as always.

Cigarette related deaths (480k per year- does not include smokeless tobacco products!) vastly outnumber illicit drug related deaths (165k) each year. Yet it's not considered vitally important to get the stores selling cigarettes, nor farmers & manufacturers, "off the streets". /1 So why do we persist at insisting drug dealers and manufacturers must be locked up to "get them off the streets"? People promoting this approach don't care that it doesn't actually change anything overall-- they want this specific person punished and removed from society. /2

I just watched Carvajal claim the BOP is using their compassionate release powers. Yeah. All 36 times out of 20k+ requests. TFOH. Also I think I love this congressman giving him hell about solitary confinement. Who is this wonderful soul? He actually gets it!

So… keep in mind I spent the last 25yrs in Canada— a country where juvenile offenders cannot even be named, much less charged “as adults”— I can’t believe we’re actually publicly naming *children* on SO registries. I’m sorry but what the fuck?! 😳

slate.com/news-and-polit… BTW— this motherfucker got 10 months, only served 8, and DOES NOT have to register as a SO. Tell me again how the registry works? And let me be clear— this POS was not having “relationships” with women. He was beating the living Christ out of them. justice.gov/usao-ct/pr/for…

So my Buddy was telling me today about how her 6th grader had to do a report on Columbus being a hero in (Catholic) school. Group project. They did a nice factual report, then at the end said respectfully they didn't think of him as a hero because <insert obvious reasons>. /1🧵 27 yr old teacher loses it. Decides they are horrid, disrespectful, naughty children. Gives them lunchtime detention. Makes them write a whole apology letter for being naughty & disrespectful. Is so traumatized by their insolence she goes & *cries to the guidance counselor* /2