OF ALL THE PRISONS IN THE COUNTRY, WHY IS ILLINOIS' VACANT PRISON THE ONLY VIABLE OPTION? ANSWER: VACANCY EASIER TO DISCUSS THAN OVER-CROWDING!

A cell house at Thomson Correctional Center is seen from one of the guard towers at the facility north of Thomson. (AP)Our politicians have a history of refusing to discuss American prison issues...until recently. And, the only reason why they are talking about prisons is because the issue surrounds VACANT, WASTE-OF-MONEY-TO-BUILD, FEDERAL-MONEY-FOR-GITMO-DETAINEES PRISONS.

A newly-built but empty Thompson Correctional Facility located rural Illinois was in the news today (article here) as the most viable option for Gitmo detainees. It is estimated to bring 300 or so jobs to the area. Big deal! It also will bring in 1500 armed forces, i.e. men and women that can be deployed anywhere in the entire country. Why displace them to the middle of nowhere? There are plenty of other prisons that can be used!

THE OTHER PRISON ISSUE - WHAT TO DO ABOUT OUR AMERICAN INMATES

Here's an idea: why not discuss why is there no room for Gitmo detainees in most other prisons? Why are we only looking at vacant prisons? Well, the reason why is our prison system has become industrialized; the more prisoners, the more money for privatized prisons and corporations with contracts at the prisons. Our politicians refuse to discuss why we are the most incarcerating country in the world; our politicians refuse to look at other alternatives for non-violent offenders. The over-crowding of prisons is an issue for another day, it seems. Right now, our politicians would rather talk about Gitmo detainees intead of rehabilitating and releasing non-violent drug offenders.

BRINGING GITMO DETAINEES TO AMERICAN SOIL IS A BAD IDEA

I do not like the idea of bringing Gitmo to America. Are the prisoners going to be spread throughout the country or will they all just be chillin' in one spot? Will they be housed with American inmates?

The United States has been so concerned with fighting the war on terrorism abroad. We have done very little to weed out cells in America (Ft. Hood killer who posted blogs and was being watched by Feds proves my point). I think it is silly to bring known terrorists back here. We are just feeding the monster by doing so.

I'm not worried about an inmate escaping. The American "home" will be so secured they ain't goin' nowhere. But, they will be afforded the rights of other inmates. They will be allowed visitors, they will get mail. They will be living in the place that they want to see destroyed. They will find a way to share information.

Out of sight, out of mind. We bring them here to America and those prison lights will be shining ever so brightly on our enemies. The moths will be that much more attracted to the flame...

3/11/09: Tamara on CNN HLN "Showbiz Tonight" Discussing the Latest on Rihanna/Chris Brown

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DEAR ERIC HOLDER: WE ARE NOT COWARDS BUT WE MUST FIX A BROKEN SYSTEM

(AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)Today, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said, "Though the nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial we have always been and continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards." Article here.

A coward is someone who is afraid, who has fear.  When it comes to America's justice issues, "cowardly" is not a proper description.  Broken is more accurate. 

What do I know, right? Well, first of all, I'm a criminal defense attorney in the largest criminal system in the country (Cook County, IL) so the majority of my clients are, unfortunately, black.  But more importantly, I have worked very closely with Rev. Jesse L. Jackson & other civil rights leaders for the past few years. Some of my cases include 1) a case where the railroads were firing felons in the name of "homeland security" without proper authority & several Congressional hearings were held (Washington Post articles here and here); and 2) a case where Chicago Police Officers were illegally arresting family members of public housing residents for trespass.  (Article here.  I attached TV story below.)

Our system is broken.  Our laws are punitive and do not focus on rehabilitation.  1 in 100 people in our country are in prison or jail. We are the most punitive country in the entire world.  1 in 3 black men can expect to spend time in prison in their lifetime.  Approximately 70% of drug-users are white; however, almost 80% of people in jail for non-violent drug offenses are black.  We have "3 strikes & you're out" laws & laws that create mandatory sentencing guidelines for repeat offenders.  80% of women in the Cook County jail are mothers of 3 or more children & 75-90% of them are addicted to drugs or alcohol. 

Those with criminal records are marked for life. Most states do not allow felony convictions to ever be cleared (expunged or sealed) from the public's view.  Some may say, "I don't want a convicted felon to be able to hide their record." But many people want rehabilitation.  Many people want jobs.  Many people deserve a 2nd chance.  I'm not talking about the violent, sex-offender.  I'm talking about the guy who got caught dealing drugs in his early 20's and has had trouble finding a real job for the past 15 years because of one error in judgment. It is our Governors who are the cowards: They are afraid to grant pardons in fear of political backlash. The power to pardon is an enumerated job description of the Governor, (albeit discretionary); however, our Governors must grant pardons for those who can prove rehabilitation and that they are productive members of society despite a mistake many years ago.

 Calling Americans "cowards" is not a proper call to action.  Many of the men who I represent want to, at the end of the day, be able put food on the table for their family.  These men are not cowards. They want to work but nobody will hire them.  These men flat-out need a job.  Many of the women I represent are drug-addicted & poor.  They are not cowards.  They are sick & need help; they want real help, not some under-funded "program" in the jail.  The public defenders have such extraordinary case loads that they cannot tend to every indigent defendant's needs even though they want to fight each case equally; they are not cowards.

I have spent countless hours in the public housing projects with families who are sick of getting beaten up by the police and who are tired of getting forced through a judicial system that seeks to punish even the most innocent. They are not cowards; they are victims of systemic repression.

Sure, there are many "bad" people out there who deserve to be in prison and deserve punishment.  But I refuse to believe 1 in 3 black men are bad.  I refuse to believe that 2.2 million people who are in our prison system today are all "bad" and cannot be rehabilitated and treated.  We are broken but that doesn't make us cowards, Mr. Attorney General.

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CASEY ANTHONY CASE: POLICE MUST STOP RELEASING TAPES TO PUBLIC

Today, December 4, 2008, the Orange County Jail released visitation video recordings between Casey Anthony & her parents, George and Cindy, between July 25-Aug 3.  Article & videos here.

The State Attorney's Obvious Attempts to Taint the Jury Pool

The State Attorney's office should be ashamed of itself for continuing to release videos and audio recordings of Casey Anthony while in custody.  They initially released parts of her interrogation, then parts of their questioning of Casey's parents, and now the video of her visitation with her family.

This continued leaking of information to the public is an unprofessional attempt to taint the jury pool that will be hearing Casey's case when she goes to trial on murder charges of her daughter, Caylee.  There is no other explanation for this but the irrelevant public drama that is needed to fuel Nancy Grace's show, among others.

The released videos show a heart-wrenching meeting-behind-glass between 2 parents and their daughter.  I am not asking for sympathy for Casey.  Anyone with compassion will look at these tapes and feel sorrow for the situation as a whole.  It's just sad.

George & Cindy Anthony waiting to visit daughter, Casey, in jail

The possible crocodile tears and the alleged continued lies of Casey are heard on the video. These videos will possibly be used at trial to show Casey's pathological liar nature.  And that's the only place where they should be used.

As a criminal defense attorney, I would seek a gag order in this case, preventing the police from continuing to leak evidence to the public before the case is tried. 

I'm not saying this case shouldn't continue being discussed on Nancy's show, but the content should not include leaked evidence. Let the jury hear it first.  Whether you think she's guilty or not, Casey is entitled to a fair trial. The evidence will speak for itself at that trial and should not be evaluated by the public first.

www.xpunged.com and www.tamaraholder.com