Camp

Work is a day like any other. Well, sort of. You walk in and are bombarded by stares, questions, and comments. "I bet it was bad. Was it bad?" "How many people were there?" "How's the food?" "What's it like in there?" "Was it scary?" All questions have a similar generic answer. "Fine. Alright. Maybe. A few." You don't feel any different than your normal self. You just want to move on and get this over with.

As time ticks down at your job, you dread having to go back to your temporary "home sweet home." You walk slowly out the doors. Even slower to your vehicle. And circle the block a few times before you park and drag your way up the stairs to the jail.

Once you've changed back into your blues, dinner awaits. Tonight it's some sort of stroganoff... a piece of bread... a carton of milk... and a handful of peas & carrots. And don't forget the mystery cobbler for dessert. The night is filled with more reading, a little TV before bedtime, and the quiet solace of sleep. And snoring.

Picture jail as a bad week at camp. You don't control your schedule. You're told when to get up, when to eat, when to sleep, and when you can attend the vending machines. You don't like the people you're with, and the ones who are tolerable will likely not remain your contacts after your time is done. The beds are uncomfortable. The food is bad. And all in all, you just want to go home.

Soon enough.

Posted by: Confessions on Monday, June 29 at 11:53 AM | Comments (2) | Permalink

Eat & Run

6 a.m. the lights turn on and a jailor comes in. Time for breakfast. You climb out of your bunk with a "thump" as your feet hit the hollow-sounding floor. You throw your blue sweatshirt and blue pants on over your sleepwear as you've got a time limit. Wiping the sleep from your eyes, you stumble with the rest of your new friends across the hall to the rec room (no food whatsoever is allowed in the bunk room) and eat your breakfast in silence.

Cereal, milk, juice and some sort of much-too-sweet, full-of-preservatives pastry. You want a piece of fruit... No such luck. Fruits and veggies are not high on the list of things to eat in jail. I vividly remember one day, the only F/V we received was half of a tomato. Honestly. Half of a tomato. Made me wonder how anyone serving more than a couple day sentence could get any nutrition... There's not even an option to BUY a bag of carrot sticks, or an apple... Something should be done. Well, that's enough of me on my soap box. Back to the story:

After breakfast, you're excited. You get out to go to work. With no alarm clock, and no one reliable enough to trust with waking you up, you grab your book and read for the next couple hours until you can get ready, get dressed in REAL clothes, and leave this place for a while.

You're required to shower daily, which is a blessing. You were worried about having to share close quarters with those afraid of water and soap. When it's your turn for the shower (there are 2 private showers, one on each side of the room) the person on the bunk below you says you can use their shampoo. Isn't that a no-no? Yes. But you don't care... Anything's better than the mystery soap in your "welcome kit." To your surprise, the water is warm. Hot, even. Fantastic! You dress in your regular street clothes, walk to the set of double doors that leads to freedom, and push the buzzer. A jailor comes to walk you out. You sign your initials on a clipboard, and try to hide your excitement as you walk down the stairs, headed to work.

Posted by: Confessions on Friday, June 19 at 10:59 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Q & A: Jobs

Reed writes: I just got my second DUI, I am fighting it and I hired a great lawyer but the likely hood I will still receive one is pretty high but not necessarily gonna cause me to serve jail time. I need to call the DMV and set up a hearing still which I will do with my lawyer. I am simply wondering what jobs if any will hire a guy with a bad criminal history and a bad driving record? I have one dui and the possibility of another now on my record what jobs can I actually apply for and land? What profession should I pursue or new career should I start now that I can no longer work as a Firefighter? These are just a few questions I have simply because I am just wondering what direction I should go and I wanted a persons input who has been there.

Confessions says: First thing to take care of is getting your arraignment set up. As quickly as you can get it going, schedule it. It's a formality to begin with, and for as much time as the rest of the process takes, it's best to get this one out of the way as soon as possible. You'll enter in, plead "not guilty" and be done. Second step is to call the DMV and see when you can make application for your new license (work permit). I'm not sure if you're from MN, but here it's a $680 fee, plus your regular license application fee. So basically, $700. Just so there's no shock there.

As far as jobs go, I believe you'd still qualify for most jobs that don't require a clean driving record (pizza delivery, CDL trucking, or many jobs where you're required to drive, such as over-the-road sales or repair) or a large majority of county jobs. Please know that I am not 100% certain on any portion of this, so please don't take it for fact. Many jobs don't discriminate on the basis of DUI, as they're looking for other, behavioral issues in your criminal history. Smaller non-corporate jobs, from my experience, are more likely to overlook the offense and see your assets rather than the one glaring negative. This is providing that your definiteion of "bad criminal record" includes only your DUIs and not some terrible offense in the past... That may complicate things. My advice? If you see a job you'd like to pursue, APPLY and BE HONEST in your application! Worst case scenario, you'll stay fresh with your resume and interview process. If they choose not to hire you, that's their decision, whatever the reason. It never hurts to send an application and hope for the best. Good luck to you, and I hope after TWO you've learned your lesson.

Please remember that I am not a law enforcement officer, nor a lawyer. Any information I give is to the best of my knowledge, but may not be fact in every case. Always consult your lawyer before making any decisions regarding your situation. Thank you!

Posted by: Confessions on Monday, June 15 at 11:03 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Q & A: Prosecutors & Multiple DUI Charges

Phoenix Calling writes: I'm trying to figure out what would happen if a private citizen went into the pre-trial conference with the prosecutor by themselves? The one thing I did not understand about her citation is that they charged [my gf] with 3 different DUI counts which I assume will be dropped to one once they get the B.A.C. back.

Confessions says: Thank you for being a reader, Phoenix. I hope this re-telling will help your girlfriend understand what's headed her way, and that it will not be pleasant. The best way to figure out how things will work if she decides to plead not-guilty and represent herself is to contact the city (or county) attorney that has been assigned to prosecute her case. If she's not yet had any court interaction, the court administrator can probably tell her which attorney will be prosecuting as soon as it has been assigned. I'd get in contact with them, in my case though she was my prosecutor, she was cordial and helpful. They'd probably be a safe bet to confer with to see if a citizen's meeting would be workable. Otherwise, if she decides to represent herself and pleads guilty right out of the gate, it will speed the process along (by far) and as long as she was under BAC 2.0 (in Minnesota) her time without her license should be cut in half if she enters a guilty plea, as far as I know. Contact the Department of Vehicle Services to be sure it will work that way in her case. Either way, it's up to her to decide how she wants to go. As far as the 3 charges go, it's common. That's the court's way of making sure SOMETHING sticks. Usually (as in my case) they'll throw a main charge out there, like 3rd Degree DUI (which is 2.0 or higher, or a 2nd offense). They had a 4th Degree DUI as a back-up in case they couldn't nail me on the 3rd Degree for some reason (loopholes, wrongful stop or interrogation, etc.). In some cases I've seen, they'll throw on a Reckless Endangerment charge for good measure if the violator was speeding, swerving, or driving generally recklessly... Which has a possibility of holding even if a DUI charge is finalized. Whatever charges they don't "need" will be dropped upon the violator's sentencing. Please relay this message to your girlfriend: To better help yourself, look through all of your paperwork, back to front. If you don't understand a word, look it up in a legal dictionary. Check out an online overview of the legal process, or get a book from your local library that has laws about DUI in your state. That way, if you choose to represent yourself (or even if you get an attorney) you'll be more well versed and know more of what's going on in your own life, rather than being totally thrown at the mercy of the judge. I wish you luck, and I very strongly hope you've learned your lesson.

Posted by: Confessions on Thursday, June 11 at 11:25 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Rigmarole

You spend most of your time in your bunk. Trying to figure people out. A few of your bunkmates seem normal... And a few are anything but. A couple are there for 6-7 months longer, some are out in a few days like you are. Shoplifting. Drugs. Assault. Bad checks. And a couple more DUIs. All in all, your situation isn't all too bad. You do your time, go to work during the day, and spend your nights reading or trying to avoid conversation. Believe me, this is not the place to make friends. Sure, the normal ones are okay to talk to... But that's the extent of it.

The toothless wonder rakes at your last nerve daily. Their sob stories about how the world is so unfair and everyone's out to get them and no one cares about them and this and that and every other damn thing that could go wrong, these stories are just too much for you... One night you are sick of listening. Storm out yelling obscenities. Slam your hand into a locker. Sit in the rec room and find something to bide your time while you cool down.

One of the "normal" ones gives you the rundown of what to do and what not to do. While you've read your handbook and already know this, they feel the need to tell you anyway. Don't talk back to the jailors. Duh. Don't rock back on the chairs in the rec room. Don't share your toiletries with anyone. What? There's enough to share? Don't get caught wearing something other than jail clothes. Don't stay in bed during breakfast (you now know why the toothless wonder was upset. The crew didn't get up for breakfast A.K.A. roll call so they had to stay home from their "job"). Don't bring food or drink into the bunk room. There's a lot of don'ts, but only one real do... Do whatever you're told by the jailors, keep to yourself, and shut the heck up. The omnipresent "They" say: "Better to keep your mouth closed and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt." Indeed.

Posted by: Confessions on Wednesday, June 03 at 1:41 PM | Comments (4) | Permalink

Blue on Blue

You watch TV with your fellow inmates for a while... Gauging their reactions to the sitcom, and seeing if it's worth opening up your mouth or not. You walk to the bookshelf and peer over the books, noticing most of them fall into a few basic genres: crime novel, smutty romance, faith based, and self improvement. You snag a copy of "the Bourne Identity" and slink back to your chair. After all, you have no idea what you're supposed to be doing right now.

An officer walks in and tells you to come with her. She asks you what size of clothing you'd like... You estimate, as you're not familiar with how sizes run in jail clothing. She returns with a pile of unholy colors, just for you. Blue scrub pants and top for the daytime (or a blue sweatshirt if you're of the cold blooded variety), and orange shorts and a gray t-shirt for your stylish eveningwear.

You are given 2 towels, 2 blankets, 2 sheets, and 2 pillowcases, in addition to your "welcome kit." What a sad name for your small pack of toiletries... Welcome to jail! Inside your welcome kit is a toothbrush so hard it's not quite suitable for a dog, a tube of clear toothpaste (yes, I didn't know it existed either), a stick of deodorant that is packaged in such a way that it looks like it may have come from the black market, a comb (a cheap plastic one like the ones they gave you on picture day in school), a bar of soap, and a hotel-sized packet of shampoo that will last you for one shower. Maybe.

You're told to change into your blues and make your bed. Your street clothes go in your locker out in the hall. But don't lock the locker, because only the officers can open them.

You realize, upon taking off your street clothes, that the officer who brought you here didn't pat you down or search you for weapons. That doesn't seem right. Your belt, which whould have been removed, is shoved into the locker with everything else you won't be wearing for a few days.

After getting settled, you return to the rec room. The toothless one is ranting about how they were not allowed to go to work today because "such-and-such a jailor is a bitch" and "everyone didn't get up this morning and now they're taking it out on me" and "they don't have the right to talk to me like that."

The only thing running through your mind is: This is jail. Nobody's getting paid to be your friend.

Posted by: Confessions on Monday, May 04 at 3:12 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink

Back to Normal(ish)

Well, I apologize yet again for my depart from the story... Things have been a little crazy lately. Just wanted to give you all an update and let you know that as of today, my 6 months is up, and my license has been fully reinstated!! No more anxiously checking the clock to make sure I won't break curfew... No more yearning to go somewhere other than work... No more begging for rides to the grocery store...

One more small step toward normalcy. Now, just to wait a year and a half to rid myself of these beautiful "W" license plates, and everything will be hunky-dory. Lesson learned!

Posted by: Confessions on Wednesday, April 22 at 9:12 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Welcome BACK to Jail

I'd like to start by saying thank you to the members of law enforcement who have stumbled across my story. For those of you who had been mentioned (anonymously, of course) in my past postings, thanks for keeping an open mind and a sense of humor about the whole thing, and for helping me in some way down this winding road, which is nearly at its end.

Now to begin the story...

You arrive at the jail at the time you were told after your sentencing. You explain who you are and why you're there, and you're promptly told to wait in a chair until someone could get to you. The woman behind glass grumbles something about the damn court system and why can't they send people earlier or later... You watch the officers pace back and forth in their office and note it's similar to a day at the aquarium. Life behind glass. You can't hear their words, but you can see their expressions... And you wonder if they're viewing you the same way.

15 or so minutes later, a woman wanders out and informs you that since no one is available to get you booked in, she was going to be sending you to your new home, to await booking later. Okay, good. Fine. Let's just get this over with. You're led to an area behind locked doors. One door and a row of lockers to your right, two doors on your left. You're led through the door on your right, greeted by a large room and five blank stares. This appears to be the recreation room. Leftover food trays lie on a ping-pong table that has seen better days (dinner time is just wrapping up), a wall is lined with books and board games, a tv propped up in the corner, and a few tables to sit at. You slink in, thinking maybe the others won't notice you if you're quiet, and take the only chair available, conveniently located at the center of the room.

You quietly watch television while the others finish eating, until one finally asks "What're you here for?" You notice they're missing a tooth. How attractive. "DUI," you respond, realizing that this is going to be the longest week of your life.

Posted by: Confessions on Thursday, April 09 at 11:04 AM | Comments (2) | Permalink

Q & A: Help!

az cutie writes: I am a 29 year old who recently got my first dui in the state of AZ! We have the toughest dui laws or so I found out. I am being charged with extreme dui because my bac was .15 I have never been through this before so my first court date I was so scared. I met with the prosecutor and she told me the plea is 15 days jail(tent city)alcohol classes, interlock in my car for 1 year, and oh yeah jail is $75.00 a day. I didnt know what to do! I am a single parent. I cant go to jail for 15 days. well so i pleaded not guilty got a public defender and have been to court twice since then and still have yet to meet my public defender. I just feel like i have been left in the dark with this public defender. She never returns my calls.I have not had my questions answered and the last time we went to court well I thought it was going to be, she didnt even show up and text me after I was there for 30 mins waiting for her.She text and says her partner is there and he will be meeting with me. needless to say he was a joke.He says lets file a continuance. And I said why he said to test the other blood sample. hmm? ok I said. A week later my pd secretary calls and says my pd needs to talk to me, ok we set up meeting on phone and she tells me that Im goin to have to do 15 days jail. What!!!I was so upset. I have learned so much from this its not even funny! my question is I dont want to wait until my court date.I want to get this jail time over since she did nothing for me.What do u think I want to write a letter to the judge and let her know the rollercoaster Ihave been on since this happened? It has affected so many things and people in my life. And that it has been 4 months and they want to give me the same plea from day 1 . I need to move on with my life. I just dont know how it will go if I go in and explain and hope they will consider a lesser sentence.

Confessions says: I would recommend calling your court administrator's office and seeing if they can do anything to help (or provide you with any more information). From my knowledge, they handle the public defenders and all court dates. Also try searching your county's (or city's) website to see if they have any information on their court system, maybe a contact person. Each county handles things differently, so it's hard for me to help with your precise situation from across the country! I will let you know, though, that you cannot complete your jail time before you've been officially sentenced (as there is a chance your sentence may differ from what is set up in the plea bargain). So maybe see if they can bump up your court date, or at least let you complete your classes (I'm guessing that's a standard for all DUIs in your state, if they're that strict) and all of your paperwork crap. No guarantees. I'd also look into finding a lawyer in your area for a consultation. Many offer consultations at little to no charge, and only take a retainer upon you asking them to represent you. Your PD sounds like a hack, and could probably stand to be reported to the court. As for the length of time, 4 months doesn't seem long to me. My offense was in October, and I am just now completing my jail time. I'll keep you in my thoughts. Though AZ is apparently a very strict state when it comes to DUI cases, I wish you the best and hope this helped you learn a valuable lesson! -Confessions

If you have a question about ANYTHING regarding a DUI, email it to confessdui@gmail.com and I'll answer questions as they come in.

Posted by: Confessions on Friday, April 03 at 10:04 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Going In...

I will be starting my jail sentence tomorrow at 5pm. At that time, I will be allowed huber (work release), so posts chronicling my stay will be available when I get the chance (providing anything interesting happens... which I'm sure it will). This is my first rodeo, so I don't know quite what to expect... Hoping for the best. If anyone has experienced a jail stay, please feel free to provide tips on what to do (and what NOT to do). Thanks again to everyone who's reading. It means a lot that there are still some followers to my tale!

Posted by: Confessions on Wednesday, April 01 at 6:43 PM | Comments (4) | Permalink