1. prostitution is older than capitalism 2. "sexual intercourse should be an expression of love", that's a bit too romantic, isn't it? sexual intercourse is an expression of all kinds of things, not only love. have a nice day, julia
It is a series of actions which started well before he murdered Ron however. While I do not doubt, that Mr. Pezecca may have come to some sort of regret for what he did, it is easy to feel this regret from behind bars, fences and razor wire. What else is there time for, as this is exactly what the system is designed to accomplish.
The thing is, this is an individual who attacked a bailiff at the courthouse, and had to be brought into the courtroom in shackles. This is someone who stabbed people while in juvenile detention. His issues started long before the day he decided to kill Ron and dispose of the body parts. Clearly a product of crap parenting, but also lacking a will to raise himself above that. Lots of people have bad parents, and manage to raise themselves from that issue.
For that, I feel sorry for Mr. Pezecca. For murder, no sympathy.
Ron was 58, and yes, he was a cancer patient. It was Melanoma however, and not life threatening. Ron was a pretty big guy, and by no means weak... He could hold his own. Against a roofing hammer to the back of the head, no one would be able to hold their own however.
Daniel, Too often you hear reasons of why or why not change in the system cannot occur coming from higher authorities, but I think it is refreshing to hear your thoughts since you are going through this first hand. What is the purpose of the Prison? Is it to punish? Is it to reform? As my knowledge continues to increase, I began to form an opinion that agrees with your position. A restorative justice system is needed. Your goals for an ideal system are great and go along completely with my morals and thoughts about the prison. This RRC program sounds fascinating, and I would be interested to see how many inmates would choose to participate in this facility. Also, I would be interested to see how many people would be willing to participate in the ten-day retreat you described. You touched on the point that many people coming into the prison are not really in a good state of mind, but I do believe through a system like this people would be willing to change. You described how if you are a first time offender you can get a sentence reduction by 1/3; a second time offender will not receive a sentence deduction, but can still participate in the program; and those who have participated in the program twice already are not able to go through it again. This is a very smart and well thought out idea. I feel for first time offenders it is almost like an incentive to get a sentence reduction. And during their time there, hopefully they will have a change of mind for the better. Also, those that are second time offenders are still given the privilege—like a second chance. While it might of not worked completely the first time, if they are willing to go back to the program without the incentive of a sentence reduction, this shows that they are motivated, and they do want to see a change within themselves. Lastly, the third time offender is not given the opportunity to participate in the program. It is like the idea of ‘three strikes and you are out’; you were given the opportunity to reform, but you did not take advantage of it therefore you missed your chances—it is a missed opportunity. The lessons you are envisioning for this RRC program such as ‘self-discovery’ and ‘interpersonal skills/conflict resolution’ is exactly what the prison needs. Moreover, the question you proposed at the end really brought your idea full circle. Do you want to have a criminal in your neighborhood that did not undergo reform? Or one that has gone through this RRC program and has reformed and has had a change of mind? People say they have this WANT for reform of prison inmates, but do slim to nothing about it. However, with an idea like this brought to the table, people will agree and feel a passion to take action.
To move forward you need to take responsibility for your actions. This was not a ten second fight. This was a 58 year old cancer patient that was struck from behind and pursued into another room and struck again. The decision to dismember him was an attempt to escape the inevitable result of your actions. It occurred over an extended period of time........going to your girlfriend to get a hacksaw was cold and thought out. Your current situation is simply the end of an escalating upward spiral of violence.
It's not taking shots, it's just reality. I think that sadly it is a reality you have to live with every day.
But, back to something of a better note. If you get rated to a three, what sort of job does that allow? Is the pay better, or just simply the job itself.
You noted that $40k is below the median income level, and this is true. People at jobs in places like McDonalds and the ilk cannot make it on those wages, but I have always been of the opinion that those jobs are not meant to be for a family income. Sadly... They are. You worked in an industry prior to your lock up that would / could have made you decent money outside. I remember part of this being discussed during your court case. If you were out working today, the chances of making well over 40k in construction/roofing, what have you are really good.
There is a push right now to raise minimum wage substantially. I have always hated the term minimum wage. It implies such a disdain on the part of the employer to the employee... As in "you are only worth the minimum of what I am required to pay". I understand the logic behind the law, but hate the term. Walmart recently announced they are raising all of their employee wages, it may get the ball rolling. The thing is, when everyone has more money, there is more in the system, and prices go up... Essentially a net gain of zero.
good luck on starting a new charity campaign. I saw the postings for your last one, it must be nice to have an outlet of that nature.
RSS
two thoughts on your blog
1. prostitution is older than capitalism
2. "sexual intercourse should be an expression of love", that's a bit too romantic, isn't it? sexual intercourse is an expression of all kinds of things, not only love.
have a nice day,
julia
The thing is, this is an individual who attacked a bailiff at the courthouse, and had to be brought into the courtroom in shackles. This is someone who stabbed people while in juvenile detention. His issues started long before the day he decided to kill Ron and dispose of the body parts. Clearly a product of crap parenting, but also lacking a will to raise himself above that. Lots of people have bad parents, and manage to raise themselves from that issue.
For that, I feel sorry for Mr. Pezecca. For murder, no sympathy.
Ron was 58, and yes, he was a cancer patient. It was Melanoma however, and not life threatening. Ron was a pretty big guy, and by no means weak... He could hold his own. Against a roofing hammer to the back of the head, no one would be able to hold their own however.
Too often you hear reasons of why or why not change in the system cannot occur coming from higher authorities, but I think it is refreshing to hear your thoughts since you are going through this first hand.
What is the purpose of the Prison? Is it to punish? Is it to reform? As my knowledge continues to increase, I began to form an opinion that agrees with your position. A restorative justice system is needed. Your goals for an ideal system are great and go along completely with my morals and thoughts about the prison.
This RRC program sounds fascinating, and I would be interested to see how many inmates would choose to participate in this facility. Also, I would be interested to see how many people would be willing to participate in the ten-day retreat you described. You touched on the point that many people coming into the prison are not really in a good state of mind, but I do believe through a system like this people would be willing to change. You described how if you are a first time offender you can get a sentence reduction by 1/3; a second time offender will not receive a sentence deduction, but can still participate in the program; and those who have participated in the program twice already are not able to go through it again. This is a very smart and well thought out idea. I feel for first time offenders it is almost like an incentive to get a sentence reduction. And during their time there, hopefully they will have a change of mind for the better. Also, those that are second time offenders are still given the privilege—like a second chance. While it might of not worked completely the first time, if they are willing to go back to the program without the incentive of a sentence reduction, this shows that they are motivated, and they do want to see a change within themselves. Lastly, the third time offender is not given the opportunity to participate in the program. It is like the idea of ‘three strikes and you are out’; you were given the opportunity to reform, but you did not take advantage of it therefore you missed your chances—it is a missed opportunity.
The lessons you are envisioning for this RRC program such as ‘self-discovery’ and ‘interpersonal skills/conflict resolution’ is exactly what the prison needs. Moreover, the question you proposed at the end really brought your idea full circle. Do you want to have a criminal in your neighborhood that did not undergo reform? Or one that has gone through this RRC program and has reformed and has had a change of mind? People say they have this WANT for reform of prison inmates, but do slim to nothing about it. However, with an idea like this brought to the table, people will agree and feel a passion to take action.
But, back to something of a better note. If you get rated to a three, what sort of job does that allow? Is the pay better, or just simply the job itself.
You noted that $40k is below the median income level, and this is true. People at jobs in places like McDonalds and the ilk cannot make it on those wages, but I have always been of the opinion that those jobs are not meant to be for a family income. Sadly... They are. You worked in an industry prior to your lock up that would / could have made you decent money outside. I remember part of this being discussed during your court case. If you were out working today, the chances of making well over 40k in construction/roofing, what have you are really good.
There is a push right now to raise minimum wage substantially. I have always hated the term minimum wage. It implies such a disdain on the part of the employer to the employee... As in "you are only worth the minimum of what I am required to pay". I understand the logic behind the law, but hate the term. Walmart recently announced they are raising all of their employee wages, it may get the ball rolling. The thing is, when everyone has more money, there is more in the system, and prices go up... Essentially a net gain of zero.
good luck on starting a new charity campaign. I saw the postings for your last one, it must be nice to have an outlet of that nature.