Interview with Rachel, Jason, Kat, JM Advice, Brian, DavidP, keke, Teabag, Crystal, isaac, Lucky, Laydie, Kathy, Lisa, Apache, Janet, Ron, Ryan, Laetia, Dennis and Edward
JM: Tell us about the pre-sentencing process: Rachel: the 50 they searched me in and out took all my
thining Jason: I was arrested at O.H. Airport returning from a
over seas business trip. I was detained by
Customs for Warrent in Texas for a Failure to
Appear on a summins that I never recived. I am
53 yrs old and NEVER been arrested in my life
for anything..Never. I was told by the judge
that I could not post bail to go home and try
and find out what the hell was going on. The
lady judge would not allow me to speak a word in
my defense..NOT A WORD... Kat: I was there for an Extradition Warrant. I was
never told of what was going on or the process.
I was arrested by Homeland Security at the
Airport -- for bad check warrant -- taken to a
city jail put in a cell -- woke up at 4AM moved
to the County Courthouse -- put in a bull pen --
saw a lawyer at 1 PM told me that I was going to
court -- went to court for 30 sec was told I
would be housed at Cook County for up to 30 days
until Missouri could pick me up on warrant. Then
I was processed medically and paperwork wise --
was moved to DIV 4 cellblock -- no food or water
until I got there around midnight. So went
without food and water for 34 hours. JM Advice: Cook County Jail has an unusually high amount of inmate traffic in
the door and out. For this reason presentencing usually is not
dragged out in the form of police questioning, etc. Unless you are
facing while collar crimes there is a very good chance that you will
be taken immediately to jail - you may or may not have the
opportunity to pay bail and get out of jail until your trial. Brian: Well, initially, basically I was picked up, it was for driving on a
suspended license, so when they took me in, when I was put
into the county jail, from actually getting to the court, it took
about 8 hours. Most of the time, I was put into different cells
where they periodically call your name and transfer you to a
different cell. You have to understand that the county jail here is
extremely overcrowded. Any person with an offense, whether it's
a minor offense or a major offense, they get put into the general
holding room. It took about eight hours, I think. DavidP: I didn't have much of a pre-sentence process. It was a driving-
related charge, and it normally doesn't carry jail time for that
charge. It does occasionally, but not normally. keke: it was so messy Teabag: First court appearance was the Bond hearing Crystal: The bond court is a travesty of justice. On
felonies at 26th and California there is a video
bond court, where you are held in a crowded dirty
basement and a video hooks you with the
courtroom. You illegally are denied access to a
public defender and bond is set without your
input which is illegal. This is presently being
challenged as a class action in the courts. High
bails are set compared to the rest of the country
because the court clerk keeps ten % even if you
are found innocent. This funds the court system
and is an incentive for judges to set high bail
and refuse to give personal recognizance bails.
Public defenders have 100s of cases each and have
no more than a minute to look at the arrest
report on a misdemeanor and a minute to ask you
or your family how much money they can pay in
bail so they can argue for what you can pay to be
the bail set. The public defenders do the best
they can, but don't have much time to talk to you. isaac: i reported 30 days after sentencing Lucky: It was a lot of meaningless court dates. Laydie: the guards were very co-operative, and well
schooled,towards the inmates,during our booking
processes, they never made us feel belittled. Kathy: My son in there now, but I was in there years
ago. Now my son is going through hell, because
they keep continuing his pre-sentencing process. Lisa: I did not have a pre sentencing Apache: sat in county jail Janet: I WENT TO COURT AFEW TIMES AND WAS SENTENCED TO
COUNTY TIME.
I HAVE BEEN TO COOK COUNTY JAIL APROXIMATLEY 27
DIFFERENT TIMES.
Ron: It sucked Ryan: My last sentence was only two years for possesion. I was in the
county jail for 7 months and was by far the most interesting stints
in the county jail yet. Iwas involved in a tobacco and marijana
smuggling and sales ring involving a couple workers from Aramark.
I was housed in Div. 2 Dorm 4 The Workers Dorm or Central
Kitchen. It was more like a summer camp than jail. Laetia: Verbally abusive, degrading, humiliating and I
was told I was already guilty and the police had
the proof on VIDEO. all lies! Dennis: I was on EMU for three months, Day Report for two
days.
JM: Did you have police stop by your house for questioning? Rachel: no they just walked into the crib and took me Jason: NO Kat: NO JM Advice: The police may show up and ask you questions, though this
obviously won't happen if you are picked up for a driving crime
(DUI, etc.) or in the
commission of a crime. If the police do come
they will most likely be friendly - their job is not to judge you,
just
to gather information about your crime. Brian: No, I was basically pulled over for having a brake light out, and
then obviously when they checked my driver's license, they realized
[I had outstanding tickets], so at that point, they cuffed me and
took me directly into the station. keke: no why does that matter Teabag: ???? Retarded WTF..... No the Fugitive Squad
came (15 plain clothes officers) at 10:30
am..... Kicked the door down after surrounding
the house, beat me into submission and took me
to CCDOC and booked me in. Crystal: No isaac: no Lucky: No I was in custody. Kathy: No. Lisa: no Apache: no Janet: YES I HAVE IN THE PAST,SEVERAL TIMES ACTUALLY. Ron: no Ryan: No. I was arrested on the street. Laetia: My partner and her boyfriend, a guy who we hired to renovate a
home we just bought began an affair. To get me
out of the picture, they accused me of domestic battery that
NEVER OCCURED. in fact she battered me i handed a
police report to the police. The officer lied
and said he had the domestic incident on camera.
I was never mirandized Dennis: No.
JM: What was your court appearance like? Rachel: i was dressed nice. and the judge was all mean
so i didnt even care what happend to me. Jason: It was a joke, the atty appointed to me did not
give 2 Minutes to try to explain what was going
on, she did not even know my last name..Or nor
did she care. I tryed to explain to the Judge
that My Own Brother is a crimnial judge in Texas
and she would not let me talk...Some justice.. Kat: You are kidding. I saw a lawyer for maybe 1
minute -- court lasted maybe 30 seconds JM Advice: Depending on the information gathered during discovery (the
process of investigating to find out whether a crime has been
committed or not) you may or may not be scheduled for a court
appearance. Usually a court appearance will only be scheduled
with some pretty convincing evidence - for this reason the
judges overseeing criminal courts have usually heard a variety of
excuses, half-truths and outright lies.
Hire a good attorney if you are facing serious criminal charges -
a good attorney may be expensive but the price of an inferior
attorney is much higher - somebody who could save you
months of time for a few thousand dollars would be well worth
his or her retainer. You are typically much better off with a
private attorney than a public defender.
At all stages of the presentencing process you can expect a lot
of waiting - you may wait several hours for your case to come up
on the docket, you will spend hours in a holding cell at each
stage of the process and former inmates report sometimes
being transferred from holding cell to holding cell for no
apparent reason. The actual trial date itself may be pushed back
several times and end up taking a year or longer in some cases. Brian: Ok, that took about 7 or 8 hours because I was put into several
different holding rooms. It was really overcrowded. DavidP: I went to court in December of 2005, and I was thinking it would
be a quick court appearance, and I'd be done, and it was a quick
court appearance, but unfortunately, I went out a door that I didn't
anticipate. The judge ruled me guilty of the offense that I was
charged with, and right then, the county sheriff took me into
custody. keke: it was horriable Teabag: 1st: 1 minute in front of the Video Bond Judge
to find out I had a NO BOND HOLD. (for the
charge of Escape)
2nd: 1 minute to get a 30 day continuance
3rd: 1 minute to get another 35 day continuance
after being handed a Grand Jury indictment.
4th: 30 more days while the State prepared their
case
5th: When I opened my mouth (instead of waiting
for the asshole Public Defender i was assigned)
and presented the Judge with legal documents
from a prior cout date proving i was not where
the Cook County Electronic Monitoring Department
claimed i was the day prior to my re-
incarceration. The judge determined that the
arrest was NULLIE VOID and the state had
absolutely no case against me. Even though 1
hour prior to my going in front of the judge i
was given an offer of 5 years. I proved that in
certain cases the Cook County legal system is
almost laughable. I was released the same day
(about 10 hours later) after processing out. Crystal: I represented myself and won 19 cases so far, but
I have an MD and a PhD and have studied law for a
hobby for decades. Almost everyone should have an
attorney. I was convicted on the one case I had
an attorney. The judges are ignorant of the law
and favor the prosecutors in general although
there are a few good ones. What I noticed is that
inmates don't know how to keep their mouths shut.
Everything you say can be used against you and
there are snitches who may tell the guards and
prosecutors what you said. The prosecutors are
not to be trusted nor are the guards. The best
advice is to keep asking your attorney specific
detailed questions until you understand what is
going on. There is a lot of ignorance among the
inmates and those who keep asking short specific
questions get through it better. Feel free to ask
other inmates what questions you should ask. Dont
give much personal information but you can tell
others what you are charged with so they can give
you questions to ask unless it is a sex offense
or beating up a child. Then you shouldn't tell
others because you might get hurt in jail. The
constant continuances because the State has not
produced evidence for trial or due to pretrial
motions of your attorney asking for more time to
obtain evidence or interview witnesses is
frustrating. There is a difference between
misdemeanors (sentence may be up to one year) and
felonies (sentences may be more than one year and
much more consequences). In misdemeanors there is
no arraignment before entering your plea. The
first appearance your bond is set if it was not
set at the police station where they can give you
a $1000 I-Bond (personal recognizance) or D-Bond
(you must pay 10% to get out) and the prosecutor
states the charges against you. If you have a
history, then the police won't likely set bail
and they will take you before a judge. The next
court date you enter your plea, and your attorney
is given the arrest report. 99% of misdemeanors
are settled on first hearing with a plea bargain,
after a public defender talks to you for 1-5
minutes and then discusses the case with the
prosecutor and you are instantly sentenced after
the judge is given verbal report by prosecutor
about what they would be able to prove if you
went to trial, you state you are pleading guilty
and waive your right to trial. If you choose to
plead innocent and go to trial, then a trial date
is set. In felonies there is an arraignment where
you are told the charges or waive reading of it
and enter a plea. Then there is a bond hearing
which may or may not occur at the same time. Then
there are hearings to obtain discovery (evidence
that the State has against you and evidence you
will use at trial including summary of witness
interviews). Then there are pretrial motions to
block evidence (motions in limine or motions to
suppress evidence) and other pretrial issues (if
you need a mental health exam to plead insane,
and many other issues), then a trial. The
pretrial hearings are very short in general and
annoying at the way things are dragged out due to
laziness of attorneys or overworked defense
attorneys without enough time for you or because
the investigatio is going slowly because
investigators for public defenders are overworked
and don't get to your issues like interviewing
witnesses quickly. Defendants are constantly
frustrated at not getting much information from
their public defenders and because they don't get
enough time to talk to the public defenders and
tell them their concerns and how to find
witnesses and details of what happened. The
officers are uneducated thugs. They are pretty
violent at CCDOC and they have a history of
hiding baseball bats and other objects to use to
beat the crap out of you. Most guards (they get
pissed off if you call them guards and not
officers) have no more than a high school
education and training for a few months at the
Sheriff's accademy. They don't know how to
recognize illness and say you are faking
symptoms, have anxiety, or are dope sick. Don't
expect any help from them. The deputies in
courtroom services are just pushing around the
meat. They expect you to follow orders and they
will answer simple questions about what's going
on some of the time. There are very long waits in
holding cells, inadequate water - so most inmates
are chronically dehydrated, and nothing more than
a rotten boloney sandwhich and KookAid type
artificial drink. The holding cells may be very
cold in winter. Drink as much as you can before
court appearances. Tell the judge if you are
sick even if your attorney does not and the judge
may order you to be seen by a doctor. Edward: It started to be just a Normal court appearance
but due to my disrespect for the court room and
to the Judge it turned into the worst day of my
life. isaac: not good i got time Lucky: Fast! You better pay attention or you can miss
your freedom. Laydie: my court appearance was as swift and quick, and
well organized as could be the public defender
was dutifully presentable and very
understandable the judge was well educated and
prompt and consistent as well as understandable. Kathy: Not very good. The judge was very mean and would
not listen. Had a public defender. Lisa: My court appearance was very quick and i couldnt
understand what the judge was saying Apache: to fast nothing done Janet: WELL THAT ALL DEPENDS ON IF YOU ARE IN CUSTODY
OR NOT.THERES A REALLY BIG DIFFERENCE.
IF YOU ARE FIGHTING A CASE OUTSIDE OF JAIL AND
LETS SAY YOUR OUT ON BOND YOU HAVE ALOT MORE
OPTIONS,IF YOUR LOCKED UP AND THE OFFICERS TAKE
YOU TO COURT YOU HAVE TO FACE THE JUDGE LISTEN
AND LEAVE THE C.OS SOMETIMES DONT EVEN GIVE YOU
A CHANCE TO HEAR WHAT WAS BEING SAID THEY ARE
ALREADY PULLING YOU BACK TO YOUR HOLDING CELL
AND IF YOU ASK THEM WHAT DID HE SAY THRE
RESPONSE IS USUALLY SOMETHING LIKE"YOU SHOULD OF
BEEN PAYING ATTENTION"AND THEN THE DOOR SLAMS
BEHIND YOU.THATS EVEN IF THEY WILL TALK TO YOU. Ron: mind bogeling Ryan: Long. I was on parole and trying to let time run out so I had alot of
continuances. Laetia: The ex had me sign a mediation agreement that
would trade her (dropping charges) against me in
exchange for sole possession of my the home I
owned with her. Dennis: Brief, to say the least. It was a prearranged plea.
I Was Caught With 7 Nicks, It's My Second Time Getting ARRESTED. I Was 19 This Time But 17 The First Time.and The First Time I Didn't Go To Court and Moved From South Chicago To Georgia and Didn't Report It. I Have Nothing On My Record Except For Those 2 Misdemeanor Weed Arrests. Both Arrests Happened In South Chicago.I Have Court Sept 8. 2010 9:00 am At 111 St. What Is More Than Likely To Be My Outcome.
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My cousin was extradited fm Denver to IL for smethng tht happn 10 yrs ago ( 1st Degree Murder)they keep continuing his case and wont give me n/e info how do i go about finding out wht is going on any why so may continuances???
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My boyfriend, just got arrested bond court was this morn, he did not call me or family his bond is $10,ooo cash and they won't tell me what he is charged with, what can I do?
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I recently got my husband arrested for domestic violence, but it was out of anger, now i don't know how to get him out. My neighbors tell me that it is no longer up to me whether or not i want to drop the charges it is up to the state. Is that true and how can i fight that.
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I recently got my husband arrested for domestic violence, but it was out of anger, now i don't know how to get him out. My neighbors tell me that it is no longer up to me whether or not i want to drop the charges it is up to the state. Is that true and how can i fight that.
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I recently got my husband arrested for domestic violence, but it was out of anger, now i don't know how to get him out. My neighbors tell me that it is no longer up to me whether or not i want to drop the charges it is up to the state. Is that true and how can i fight that.
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I recently got my husband arrested for domestic violence, but it was out of anger, now i don't know how to get him out. My neighbors tell me that it is no longer up to me whether or not i want to drop the charges it is up to the state. Is that true and how can i fight that.
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Why does "Laydie" answer in defense of the jail and court everytime? Are you kidding me? Who is paying you to do that, I swear NOBODY is ever treated fairly or promptly or with respect in Cook County so you obviosuly are full of CRAP or work there..........
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There is a lot of numbers on your website but 1/2 of them don't work and the phone just rings and no one answers. What is the point of having all this numbers on your webpage if none of them work
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