Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. Matthew 18:21-22 21
Corruption in Prison | News Article and More
Corruption is VERY real in prison and hard for many to believe. It is important to understand that this happens day in and day out throughout the criminal justice system. The corruption behind the prison walls is shocking to the general public and you want to believe it is a rarity – the only rarity is that you see it on the news.
I spent years at FMC Devens and remember CO Tidwell well and also Raj Rajaratnam. It was well known that Raj was worth billions which he used to his benefit from having his laundry done by other inmates, having his cell cleaned by others, getting the best food possible etc. Like the great leader he seems to be, he was kind and respectful so the inmates would value doing work for him and get paid well.
It is not surprising to hear that his wealth attracted guards also. Many guards feel invincible because 99% of the time they are – who would take a criminal’s word over a prison guard?
One guard’s routine was literally to walk around the unit, cell by cell with a pillowcase. If you leave a candy bar on your table, he would not toss (search) your cell – if you forget to do that he would destroy your cell. Insane right (who needs 60+ candy bars/day) – but who would believe such a crazy story unless you see it firsthand.
The lesson taught is if you give the guard a candy bar it will make your day a little bit easier. The daily corruption from the prison staff still blows my mind to this day. How do you think cell phones/drugs/etc get inside the prison walls where security is stricter than the airport? I was also housed outside of New Orleans for a bit and the inmate in the cell next to me literally had a loaded handgun inside his cell!
Tidwell taking $90,000 and admitting to it gives him a potential long sentence. My guess is because the system is flawed, he will get maybe a year, if that. If Tidwell was your average citizen he would be given a gigantic sentence, likely over 15 years. But because he did this from a position of power and because it is bad publicity it will be swept under the rug. What do you think he will get?
I bring this up for one reason – one of the largest obstacles the formerly incarcerated face upon release is the negative perceptions of being a criminal. This hurts us getting jobs, housing, being trusted and increases recidivism. Tidwell deserves a second chance after his sentence just like every other person released from prison.
If you own a business, don’t disqualify someone automatically because of their record. If you own apartments, we are likely cleaner and more respectful than most of your current tenants, give us a chance. I imagine more than once you have been given a second chance, pass that forward!
