Officer Lindsay's killer

[frankcor]

Your memory matches mine, Dave. I don't care what someone's feelings about treatment of prisoners, I have to believe that anything the administration can do to assist and encourage family contact for inmates is well worth the effort.

[thelma]

swimmy said:

That was a huge debate a couple of years ago. Prisoners' family members and friends were griping about how much more expensive it was to talk with them on the phone because MCI charged higher prices. There was a push on their end to get the services changed to Verizon or AT&T, but I don't remember if anything came of it. Other than a lot of people on the disgrace forums complaining about the ridiculous rates and others saying that if you did your job in the first place they wouldn't be in prison, whatever that last one meant.

I know for a fact that calls from Oneida County Jail made thru Verizon are very reasonable.

A close friend received 12 calls about 5 minutes duration and the charge was only a little over $40 - very reasonable.

[Clipper]

12 x 5 = 60 and that is more than a buck a minute Thelma. I don't find that to be reasonable at all. I would be telling that inmate to write me a letter, and I would send him a $7 book of stamps.

[thelma]

Clipper - where did you learn how to do math? Divide 60 minutes into $40 again - It does NOT equal $1.00 a minute - LOL

[Disgusted-Daily]

bobbbiez,

I recall myself disagreeing with you about the death penalty and debating your prison comments you were the one who continued to attack myself and make false accusations about me.

I stated the handicap signs have been were they are now since I have been in the Department, due the math that would be 1994 you are now claiming you made this change in 1991. Why the attack?

As far as the phone debate the rates were lowered when Governor Spitzer took office. This was big news in the papers, even the OD.

I only debated the issues on hand you were the one who took it to a personal level by attacking my character and making false assumption of me without ever meeting me. This is inexcusable behavior and I will never step down and let it go without defending myself to the fullest. Read back through the post you made some ugly and unfair comments about me.

[Clipper]

Sorry Thelma, I must be dyslexic or something. I had 40 minutes and sixty bucks going through my senile mind, sheeesh! I better start reading more thoroughly, hhaha. Hmmm maybe I need to take a breath mint to get that sneaker taste out of my mouth.

[bobbbiez]

Dave, you are 100% correct. That is why a group of us made our trips to Albany to get the phone situation for the families changed. Nothing got done on it until the new governor, Spitzer. took over. Commending him, it was one of the first things he addressed when he took office.
The phone company is still a choice of the state which is now Verizon but Verizon is much, much cheaper to go through and Spitzer abolished the hugh connection charge which was the greatest relief for the families.
There is a fight going now to re-inverse the families in the past for the unconstitutional connection fees. I"m not aware of where that is right now because of the work I am doing now and the traveling involved. It's impossible for me to make the meetings. Been spreading myself too thin and at my age just can't do all any more. If you know what I mean. Well ,maybe you don't,because I'm not sure how old you are. ;D

[bobbbiez]

Frank,, thank you. There is no need or reason for the families of the inmates to be punished or abused in any way. Believe me they are hurting greatly already.
I know most people on the outside are made to believe all inmates are scum and are all murders and baby killers and that's just not the truth. Some people in our society just made some wrong choices and did no crime that they physically harmed anyone and believe me it happens in the best of families.
I never ask anyone to feel sorry for them because all are doing their time and I believe all should be punished, but I do ask that wherever society can assist and aid the families then we should. No reason to treat them like criminals.

[frankcor]

There must be evidence out there that demonstrates that inmates who maintain strong links with their families experience less recidivism than those that do not upon their release.

[bobbbiez]

Thelma , I just don't feel it's fair or right to be charged long distance rates when it's a local call no matter how cheap one thinks it is.

If you call from your home to Oneida County Jail it'll be billed as a local call. If you call from the facility to your home using the pay phone it'll only cost you fifthly cent for a call, because it is still a local call, but if an inmate calls your house it's much more expensive and if the inmate makes a non local call to his family then the cost is ridiculously high. There is no way that is reasonable or right. You and I may be able to deal with the charges but for some families it is a great expense and they just can't afford it.

And Clipper, the inmates and families do write each other often, but that inmate's little 4 year old child, (or whatever age), needs to hear their Daddy's or Mommy's voice especially if they can't read or write yet or if they live too far away from the facility to visit their parent. No need to punish them or the rest of the family.

[Clipper]

I may sound cold Bobbbiez, but if one of my own was in prison, I would accept the fact that they ended up there by their own actions. Their family would be inconvenienced or hurt by THEIR actions, and it would not be my concern.

Being fair to families goes only so far. Their are buses chartered every weekend and we pay for so many visits in a predetermined time period. They come and bring groceries and such, and spend time with their loved ones.

In my estimation, when one commits a crime, they need to do the time. The impact of not seeing their family is an inconvenience to the family, but seeing them should be viewed as a privelege, and not a right. If they hurt their family and children, it is their own fault, not that of the state.

I remember an occasion not too long after the prisons came to Rome when the uproar of the day was because the prison ordered subs for all the inmates from downtown Rome for superbowl sunday. Yeah right!!

Cable tv? I agree with sheriff Joe's plan of two or three channels and not HBO either. Let the inmates either have family pay for cable or they can watch the 3 channels. Better yet, give em a coloring book and crayons, and a deck of cards to play solitaire. Might make them think a little harder before they re-offend.

I am sorry. I don't care if they are in there for possession of pot, or for capital murder. They are in prison for God's sake, not in summer camp. The costs of keeping them is big enough without giving them all the amenities.

I used to go to the prisons and the county jail when I was active in AA in the 70's. Never saw ANY of the inmates from the meetings in the jail at a meeting when they got out. Probably they went to the first bar down the street from the jail. Just recently here in Tennessee, there was a guy that was driving his car to a bar near the jail, going to jail for the week end, for dwi and driving with a suspended license, and when he got out on Sunday, he would have a beer or two at the bar and drive home. Saw the same scenario in California in the 60's.

If I have any volunteer time to donate, it would be for VICTIM'S RIGHTS not inmate's rights.

Sorry to disagree Bobbbiez, but that is the purpose of prisons, is to punish and correct, not coddle and make life easy. Family inconvenience is a spillover of the inmates behavior.

[Clipper]

We should spend as much volunteer time supporting military families who have a husband or father in harms way as is spent supporting families of convicts, inmates and criminals. They have children that don't get to talk to daddy very often, and they are without a convicted felon for a father or mother.

[bobbbiez]

Hey Clipper, Multi- tasking on volunteering is good and not hard to do. Many are able to do it. Nothing wrong with that.

You can correct me if I'm wrong but if a prisoner is released, as part of his parole agreement, he or she has to comply with the AA programs or an Insight House program whether it be for drinking or drugs. If he or she doesn't then they will be in violation of their parole and then thrown back into prison. They are also given urine tests on a regular basis by their Parole Officer to keep track of just that.

Listen, I'm not at all against someone being punished for a crime they committed, but that has nothing to do with their families. The courts sentenced the one committing the crime not his family. No reason for them to pay for the crime.

I'm pretty sure Frank is right on a study done by the correctional system feeling it benefits all to keep the prisoners close to their families while incarcerated. Who am I to argue with them when they are running the whole system.

[corner]

for a majority of incarcerated criminals their families were ther first victims whether they were pediphiles or crack heads stealing money, and property from them to support their habits..in 31 years of service the majority of it as aparole officer ive only met one person who didnt belong in prison and was not guilty of the crime for which he was convicted, an investigation i personaly conducted got him paroled and later exhonerated.

[bobbbiez]

corner, sorry but I didn't say they were all innocent.

I applaud you for not always believing someone is guilty though. My hat is off to you for the work you do.
I do know a few that were found innocent after being convicted and then released. Was very happy for them but there were alot of wasted years that they can't give them back while someone eventually believed them and did more investigating.

Very recently, one of my son's best friends was released from prison due to someone believing in his innocence. He was accused of killing a grandparent. Though the new investigation they found the real killer and that was a partner in business with this boy's relative. The very, very sad part is till took 16 years out of this boy's life for him to be proved not guilty. Very sad.