Most Recent Entries

• The North-by-Northwest Path to Truth
• A sad day in Happy Valley
• From Lancaster with “Love”
• Santa Stopped by Today
• Thanksgiving by the Numbers
• The Best Three Days of My Life
• Apocalypse at Starbucks
• Justice the Sheriff’s Way
• Do You Mind If I Think?
• The Pressure to Step Up Shoe Standards
• What’s the Physics Du Jour?
• The Longest Day Ever
• Sunshine 101
• What Schrödinger’s Cat Has in Common with Young Frankenstein
• What I Learned During Exam Period

More

• Thinking Out Loud

Monthly Archives

• January 2012
• December 2011
• November 2011
• October 2011
• September 2011
• August 2011

Will a Cash Register checkout at the county jail reduce crime or punish poor people?

Posted Sep 19, 2009 by Al Mccray

Updated Sep 20, 2009 at 10:13 AM

If Mr. Beckner, a Hillsborough County/ Tampa, Florida commissioner, have it his way our Sheriff David Gee will operate the largest “Bed and Breakfast Plus” establishment in the State. 

Kevin Beckner

Hillsborough County Commissioner

However unlike his competitors David’s “Bed and Breakfast Plus” establishment will offer a lot more amenities. These additional amenities will include the following;
1. A flexible per diem charge of $5-$55 per day, depending on the status of your stay,
2. No sales tax or hospitality taxes added to final bill, 
3. You could check in for a few hours or stay one year and one day,
4. Three meals per day, not just one, delivered fresh to your secure quarters,
5. Around the clock armed and unarmed security staff,
6. Free medical and dental for all guests,
7. Free transportation at check in,
8. Free laundry service,
9. Free wake up service,
10. Grievance forms for immediate follow up if you don’t like your treatment,
11. A choice between a private or group accommodations,
12. An assortment of educations classes,
13. Most quarters come with an exercise court,
14. Free accounting and storage of your valuables,
15. Free round trip to your downtown legal appointments,
16. Complete privacy and isolation from all the hectic affairs of everyday life.

With the constant volume of hundreds of new arrivals daily, David’s Bed and Breakfast could collects millions of dollars of additional revenue.

But it does not matter how many amenities there are at David Bed and Breakfast Plus, it is just wrong to charge inmates in Hillsborough county jail.

Requiring inmates to pay for their up keep to me is additional punishment. A sentence to a jail or prison time is your sentence. Under the Beckner plan, that ain’t good enough for him. He wants to punish you and your family even more beyond what the judge says.  The only punishment inmate should receive is the one handed down by the courts. Imposing additional punishment without a judicial process or a without due process seems on the surface to be questionably illegal.

This effort by Mr. Beckner to generate additional funds to help the county meets its financial obligations is very perplexed and indeed troubling. For Mr. Beckner, or any politician, to go after poor people locked up, who had absolutely nothing to do with causing the financial crisis really stinks. It’s a low blow; it’s disrespectful, and shameful.

This whole proposal amounts to nothing more than the continued punishment of poor people and minorities.

It’s amazing how politicians go after in society the people who are; nonvoters, defenseless and the least likely to have a lobbyist to spread around the Ben Franklins to the decision makers. Then again this move by Mr. Beckner should come as no surprise.

It’s ironic that the Mr. Beckner would seek to punish the very people whose family members and friends through tremendous sweat and back breaking grass roots efforts and neighborhood coalitions help him to get elected. If the county needs money close the gap in the financial short fall, Mr. Beckner needs not look far. Just merely count five chairs to his right at the next time he is at County Commission. There are other cut cost avenues that Mr. Beckner should consider first.

If this foolish proposal passes, and I hope the wisdom of the other commissioners will prevent it, it will adversely punish minorities who are vastly disproportionally in the criminal justice system.

What other acts of inhumanity and cruelty does Mr. Beckner have in store to punish the poor and minority people? Are these items on his next round of proposals?
1. $1000 fine for being unemployed.
2. $750 fine for being homeless?
3. $500 fine for getting free food from a Charitable organization?
4. $250 fine for waiting in line at a day labor company ....

5. This list could go on and on … 
_____

Reverend Willie G. Dixon

Founder and Executive Director of COACH Foundation, Inc.

Reverend Willie Dixon says, “Is Commissioner Kevin Beckner’s recent suggestion to charge Hillsborough County inmates a hotel fee of $50.00 per night to live in the luxury of the Hillsborough County Jail, double jeopardy, a form of racism or another way to punish the loved ones of Black inmates?

As a former prisoner who proclaim that prison saved his life and Jesus saved his soul. Dixon does not have a problem with a guilty person going to prison if they are granted the due process and equal protection of the law during their arrest, trial and sentencing. It is said, if you can’t do the time, then don’t do the crime.” However, we see a great disparity in the entire judicial and penal system.

Black males make up about 7% of the population in the State of Florida. According to the Department of Correction annual report, Black inmates make up 49.5% of the prison population. Also, Black inmates serve more time in prison then White inmates. Therefore, Lady Justice appears to be blind during all proceedings involving Black inmates.

A solution in helping inmates become self-sufficient and taxpayers would be to prepare them for employment, which would help some Black from going to prison. Prison is a big business and job security for our Judges, Prosecutors, Public Defenders and all that provide goods and services to maintain our jails.

Presently, the total population in Hillsborough Co. Jail is 3,567, this includes:

Blacks-1,668, Whites-1,261, Hispanic-633, Other-5
225 was sentenced to the Department of Corrections
740 was sentenced to County Time

If the Commissioner’s proposal is passed many family members would have to relinquish many bills in order to pay the $50.00 for overnight stay in the County Jail. Statistic would prove by the number of repeat offenders that no fee or sentence is a deterrent to crime.
Presently 46.3% of the inmate population is repeat offenders. 

However, Sheriff David Gee’s Budget request of $378,744,911 to the County Commissioners did not include the suggestion made by Commissioner Beckner, Shame on Commissioner Beckner.” 
____

I agree with Reverend Dixon. I think this overall proposal to me seems like a vendetta against poor people and minorities. There are other ways to raise money for the county, but those other ways could meet oppositions from registered voters and non poor people from the free world. I must admit that I never would have expected such of a proposal from a politician with so many liberal associates.

Ohh I almost forgot. When did the Sheriff ask for more money to run the Jail? Did he just give back to the county about, don’t quote me on the exact amount, $ 31,000,000?

This proposal must be stopped.
______

MAKE COMMENTS BELOW. To contact me write to: almccray @aol.com