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California's Overcrowded Prisons
Free Lazor For more than three decades, California's prison guards have been resentencing prisoners to new prison terms at their whim, keeping thousands of prisoners locked up far beyond the sentences that were imposed on them by the courts that tried them. Even the most powerful state or federal judges can't do that. Even the Supreme Court can't extend or impose additional prison sentences without a jury trial. However, the California prison guards can do it. There are presently thousands of prisoners, perhaps more than 20,000, who are being kept imprisoned by this extra-judicial sentencing long after their court-imposed sentences were fully served. Like many nefarious practices, this abuse of power is disguised as a useful and necessary procedure. It hides under the pretense of a disciplinary procedure called a Rule Violation Report (RVR). That is, any prison employee, usually a prison guard, can write an RVR, documenting an alleged rule violation, whether or not such a violation actually occurred. Another prison guard sits as the judge of the RVR, determining guilt or innocence and selecting from a myriad of punishments that are specified in the rule book. The rule book does not include options to expand prisoners' sentences. It does contain rules to assure a fair hearing, though there's no remedy for the fact that those fair hearing rules are not followed. Often, there isn't any hearing at all. The rule book also provides for referring serious and "real" cases to the DA for judicial prosecution. That means that those prisoners who commit real crimes receive all of the judicial protections to assure a reliable verdict. That, and not RVRs, is the proper method for adding to a prisoner's sentence. An RVR is prohibited if a jury acquits a prisoner on a disciplinary matter. In contrast, those falsely accused of petty infractions, like stepping over an out-of-bounds line on the pavement, being on the phone out-of-turn, or disagreeing with a guard on any issue, don't get judicial trials. Instead, they get false RVRs. Most RVRs are written by guards as retaliation against prisoners who've filed complaints against the guards for committing acts of serious misconduct. There are even quotas. This writer has seen female guards in tears for weeks because they didn't meet their illegal, underground quotas of RVRs and, consequently, were denied promotions. Such quotas, of course, have bred an industry-within-an-industry of manufacturing false RVRs. RVRs can amount to "life without parole" sentences because parole board members consider RVRs to be relevant during parole hearings. Any RVR is regarded by parole board members as grounds to forbid parole, however irrelevant the RVR might be and even when parole board members acknowledge that an alleged violation couldn't have occurred. The practice is in direct defiance of the governing statutes (Penal Code §§190 and 3041 (a) and (b)). Nevertheless, no exceptions are made where any RVR is involved. Though parole release is mandatory, it's illegally denied for up to 15 years before the next scheduled parole hearing. During each such extended period of denial of parole, targeted prisoners are certain to receive more fake RVRs. It happens at the whim of the guards and guarantees parole denial at the next hearing. Three such denials means 45 more years in prison, in addition to time already served. That can potentially mean life in prison for a sentence of only eight or so years, by the jury's verdict. There's no jury involvement in the RVR process. Sometimes, prisoners whose crimes were especially atrocious have been released years earlier than other prisoners who were sentenced to the same term but were targeted with false RVRs. The disparity continues today, with no remedy in sight. About Free Lazor
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Dreamscape:
The General Electric Company Sam Aurelius Milam III For many years after I left the General Electric Company, I was haunted by recurring bad dreams about the situation. Here's a typical dream scenario.
Whenever I had such a dream, it never actually ended. It just sort of faded and then I'd wake up feeling stressed, and trembling. Being awake and realizing that I didn't work at GE anymore was always a welcome relief. I seldom have those dreams anymore. On those rare occasions when I do, they're shorter and less coherent. I don't have the lost and bewildered feeling. I usually enter the dream in search of something and then realize that, somehow, I don't need it after all. Maybe, after almost 30 years, I'm finally recovering from the dismal experience of working as a wage slave in a repressive bureaucracy managed mostly by nitwits or self-centered empire builders who cared more for their own prerogatives than they did for the product. I suggest that you read the section on the General Electric Company in my memoir Outward Bound. It's available on Pharos. Letter to the Editor Dear Sam, I cannot get enough of your incisive and brutally honest comments. I hope you hear from some of my friends to whom I send your link. Liberty, my favorite magazine has ceased print publication and gone digital and free on line. Your readers are bound to like it. http:/www.libertyunbound.com/.... Reason magazine (January 2011) had an interesting article on anarchy, "The First War on Terror.". What is your definition and analysis of anarchy? Thanks for sharing your wisdom with us timid souls. —Boblink
Regarding my various comments, have you looked at Milam’s Notes? It contains many of my thoughts from the early years. The collection was originally inspired by Long's Notes, a collection of thoughts by a fictional character named Lazarus Long in an old Heinlein story. I no longer remember the name of the story. So far as I'm aware, I haven't been contacted by any of your friends. Even so, I appreciate you sending a link. In a political or societal context, chaos is lack of order, government is order achieved coercively, and anarchy is order achieved without coercion. In order for anarchy to work, people must behave like mature adults. Also, they must have a good understanding of and respect for contracts. I suppose that's why we have so little anarchy in the world, and so much government. Of course, once government exists then anarchy becomes illegal and chaos becomes the only alternative. I suggest my little essay Anarchy, Monarchy, Malarkey. It’s available on Pharos. —editor
Stray Thoughts Sam Aurelius Milam III Challenge — Freedom isn’t for sissies. Laundry Chores — It’s easier to match your socks in dim light. For PayPal payments, use editor@frontiersman.my3website.net.
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Acknowledgments My thanks to the following: SantaClara Bob; Lady Jan the Voluptuous; my mother; Dewey and Betty; Boblink; Eric, of Ione, California; and Sir Donald the Elusive. — editor
Court Quotes From Humor in the Court and More Humor in the Court, by Mary Louise Gilman, editor of the National Shorthand Reporter. Forwarded by Don G.
Funny Statements Original Source Unknown. Forwarded by David, of Idaho Falls, Idaho.
Funny Quotes by Famous People Original Source Unknown. Forwarded by Millie, of Baltimore, Maryland.
Frontiersman Subscriptions and Back Issues — Printed copies of this newsletter, either subscriptions or back issues, are available by application only. Cancellations — If you don't want to keep receiving this newsletter, then return it unopened. When I receive it, I'll terminate your subscription. Reprint Policy — Permission is hereby granted to reproduce this newsletter in its entirety or to reproduce material from it, provided that the reproduction is accurate and that proper credit is given. I do not have the authority to give permission to reprint material that I have reprinted from other sources. For that permission, you must go to the original source. I would appreciate receiving a courtesy copy of any document or publication in which you reprint my material. Submissions — I solicit letters, articles, and cartoons for the newsletter, but I don't pay for them. Short items are more likely to be printed. I suggest that letters and articles be shorter than 500 words but that's flexible depending on space available and the content of the piece. Payment — This newsletter isn't for sale. If you want to make a voluntary contribution, then I prefer cash or U.S. postage stamps. For checks or money orders, please inquire. For PayPal payments, use editor@frontiersman.my3website.net. The continued existence of the newsletter will depend, in part, on such contributions. I don't accept anything that requires me to provide ID to receive it. In case anybody's curious, I also accept gold, silver, platinum, etc. — Sam Aurelius Milam III, editor
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