Interview with Rachel, Jason, Kat, JM Advice, Brian, DavidP, keke, Teabag, Crystal, isaac, Lucky, Laydie, Kathy, Lisa, Apache, Janet, Ron, Ryan, Laetia, Dennis, Laura, Fernando, Gail, George, Rich, Mark, John, Juan, Erik, Scott, Shawn, Dominic, James, Carl, Josh, Jose 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. Laura: Pre-sentencing I was a immature, dumb 17 year old
woman. When I was arrested, I was a hothead with
any authorities so I was very defiant, verbally
not physically. I was pushed around a bit, called
a few names until it was discovered I was a minor.
I was brought to the Oak Lawn Police Department
where I posted bail and waited for my court date.
I quivered at the thought of jail time, so I
quickly accepted a plea deal. I won't blame it on
my attorney, but there were no videos or
recordings of my arrest. Looking back it could
have clearly been fought and most likely won, but
that's all in the past now. Fernando: first,held there for a year,they gave me a bond
hearing,couldnt bond out,had 6 consecutive go
back trial dates,my lawyer,asking for conferences
with the states attorney,witness investigation by
my attorney,which led to testimony which was to
my advantage,legally,which led to all charges
being down graded,and the states attorney case
aganist me was not what he made it up to be. Gail: The pre-sentencing process was extremely
long.Continuances were abundant back in 1997.The
case was not made official until the state would
pick up the case based on the evidence they had
against you.If they did pick up the case you had to
wait 90 days to find out I'm pretty sure. George: I went to court maybe 5 times.Each time they
continued it.On the third time the judge was not
there so it was continued again.The fourth time
the police that had arrested me did not
appear.Finally the fifth time the police the
arresting police and the judge was in court and
they sentenced me to 1 year. Rich: I APPEARED BEFORE THE JUDGE ON A STRONG ARM
ROBBERY, I PLEAD NO CONTEST BY THE ADICE OF MY
PUBLIC DEFENDER. YES UR ASSIGNED A PUBLIC DEFENDER
IF YOU WERE'NT PAYING FOR A PRIVATE LAWYER.USUALLY
IT ALL SAID AND DONE BEFORE YOU KNOW IT. HELL YOU
SPEND MORE TIME WAITING TO SEE THE JUDGE THAN UR
IN FRONT OF HIM Mark: i was sentenced through a court which was nerve
biting. the process consisted of 401 conferences and
trials. at time i would not be in custody and at
times i would be in a holding cell coming directly
from cook county jail with other inmates on a bus.
the process is usually from 5:am until about 6:pm John: it was horrible correctional officer beating
inmates the housing was nasty rays running around
officers abusing their power female officers was
the worst tgrying to b extra tough just because
they knew dat the male officers have their back
the bull pins also be two crowded toilets don't
work in youll be left in there for hours on in
waiting to get back to your tier Juan: well the charge was felony possesion of drug
paraphanelia...i was sentyebnce to be on electic
moniotoring(ankle teher)...but the jail would
not reales me to the ymca where i reside because
of no supposed land line...my pd knew iwas at a
ymca but didnt know iwas gonna be held to my
probable cause hearing...which initially also
got a continuance...so i lost my job and my
place because of where i lived...if the pd knew
what the rules where i should of got released on
ibond so i coulda kept my job...im unemployed
and know staying at a homeless shaelter for
being caught with a crack pipe Erik: I WAS ARRESTED FOR A WARRANT IN ANOTHER COUNTY
THAT I WASN'T AWARE I HAD, AND HELD IN COOK
COUNTY, UNTIL KANE COUNTY CAME TO PICK ME UP,
AND ONCE I WAS TRANSFERRED I WENT BEFORE THE
JUDGE IN KANE COUNTY FOR A DISORDERLY CHARGE IN
ELGIN IL. IN 2011 Scott: You basically wait and wait and wait day in day
out for your case to make its way thru the
system. if you do not or cannot make bond than
you are stuck in that cell house for the duration
of you court preceedings. Its dead time that you
can never get back. Jason: The pre-sentencing proces consisted of a
background check of my driving abstract. My
driving record for the last 15 years was used
against me. it included offenses from 3 different
states. i had 3 prior driving while suspended
which played a part in tghe sentence i was handed
down. i was offered 100 days which i negoiated
down to 45 of which i had to serve half. Shawn: the pre sentencing process was terrible i got a
bull pen continuance didnt get to speak with a
lawyer gave me a 30 day continuance on multiple
occassions they were quick to offer a plea deal
that was unreasonable never even allowed me a
lawyer to speak with just up until i could get the
lowest allotted tcs Dominic: The pre-sentencing process consisted of me agreeing to plead
guilty for a light sentence in return. I was briefly interviewed by a
representative from the public defender's office to gather positives
about my character in order to present to the judge at my
sentencing hearing.My family was encouraged to attend the hearing
to sway the judge to give me the lightest sentence the law allowed. James: there was no pre sentence process by the court.
upon entering cook county i had to go through the
process of getting sorted and processed. this took
over 5 hours, with a max of 4 minutes done to
evaluate where you was going to be place. i think
that what really mattered was if you was extremely
weak or extremely aggressive where you sent to the
extreme divisions to have you in places where you
would be a victim or victimize. Carl: i had a traffic warrant i spent a night in general
lockup till court the next morning at court i was
sentenced to 1 month in jail i was then transported
to cook county jail were i was processed in and
taken to div 4 were i stayed till my release date Josh: On a telepropter the Prosecution presents evidence
to show to have enough proof to prosecute. Judge
then sets bail and the next court date. Then the
journey begins of processing through Cook County
jail which could take up to 18 hours stuffed in
bullpens with people who are dope sick. Strip
search down a long hallway. Jose: So, before getting sentenced, I was placed under
arrest late at night and stayed in the Buffalo
Grove police station overnight until my court
appearance that very next day. I was given a court
date that was nearly a month away, as I had no
lawyer at the time. SO, i served nearly a month of
jail time between my arrest and the pretrial.
JM: Did you have police stop by your house for questioning? If not please give us details on how you came to be arrested. 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. Laura: On July 24th 2008 I was arrested and charged with
Driving under the influence of alcohol, but I
refused to submit to a breathalyzer.
Police came to the scene where I had crashed my
1991 Buick Regal into another car that had ran a
red light. Both cars were totaled, and I was
injured in my car, unconscious. The next thing I
remember is I was outside of my car in the street,
being asked to submit to a sobriety test. I
requested my father, an attorney and medical
attention immediately only to be denied and called
a "daddy's girl" etc (Police again at this time
did not know I was underage).
Upon refusal and proclaiming knowing my rights, I
was thrown into a squad car, handcuffed on my
wrist and ankles. I was brought to Christ Hospital
in Oak Lawn, Illinois and handcuffed to a
wheelchair. After waiting there for about an hour
or so and constantly refusing to give my blood
(which they tried to force until my father
arrived) they gave up and just sent me to a cell
in the Oak Lawn Jail.
At the time I was menstruating and asked many
times for sanitary products, all which were
refused. I was told to go to bed, and when I did
fall asleep, I was awoken AGAIN demanded to take a
breathalyzer. I refused and they released me on bail. Fernando: at lounge when thief stole merchandise bag,chased
him out of the lounge,caught up with him,took
back all the merchandise he had,he went to police
on street and told them i robbed him,the
officers,turned out to be friends with him,took
me to jail,compiscated my merchandise,and towed
my car to the pound Gail: No.Because of the so called crime I committed
police were dispatched to my location after
receiving calls to 911.I was looked for and upon
my
decisionto surrender and come out without their
knowledge I was smacked around by CPD which
engaged
us in an altercation when I retaliated.But I
whupped his butt. George: yes,they came by for questioning and I was very
upset after arguing with my significant other.The
police was very rude and disrespectful.They even
pushed my dad down while he was trying to stand in
their way.However they were sued for pushing my
dad.They finally arrested me and took my to jail. Rich: NO THE POLICE DID NOT COME BY MY HOUSE CAUSE I WAS
APPREHENDED NOT FOR FROM THE SCENE...THEY GOT A CALL
FROM SOME TRICK AND THEY WERE DISPATCH IN THE AREA
BEFORE I COULD CHANGE MY APPERANCE TO DODGE THEY
ASS. THE CAPER WAS SO SPUR OF THE MOMENT ANYWAY. Mark: no the police never came to my house. every time i
was arrested i was basically driving with out a
drivers license and it would be a traffic arrest. at
time during a stop i would be searched and at that
point i would be charged with possession of a
controlled substance. John: no officers came to my house but I was arrested
on the street had me on a indictment list they
asked my name check the list took me to the
station did the fingerprint thing sat in the cell
in the police station until the next day in went
to the country Juan: no..i was caught in a back porch with a pie 5
feet away from me...i confessed it was mine and
no drugs were on my person...thought the truth
would get me out of there but i incriminated my
self and they decided to take me under arrest..i
pleaded with them but whatever Erik: NO
I WAS AT A CTA PLATFORM SMOKING, AND AN
UNDERCOVER COP, WALKED UP ON ME WHILE I WAS ON
THE PHONE, AND FLASHED HIS BEDGE, AND AT FIRST
HIS PARTNER WROTE ME A TICKET, AND AFTER THEY
RAN ME, THEY ASKED IF I HAD A WARRANT IN ANOTHER
COUNTY, AND I SAID NO, THEN HE SAID ANY SUBURBAN
COUNTY I SAID NO, THEN HE SAID ELGIN I TOUGHT
ABOUT IT AND SAID OH Scott: No, I went in them to re-register and was
arrested on the spot. they was a detain warrant
out for my arrest that I had no idea of and was
kind of blind-sided it happen as I was doing all
the right things, but once you get in this system
it's extremely hard to get out. Jason: the police did stop by my home. the police however
was late as I had turned my self in to the court
as I had discovered by my attorney that I had
misssed a court date. They came 8 cars in all
including 3 U.S. Marshalls. I am still unclear
about the purpose of so great of a show of force
other than I am 6'6" 255lbs. Shawn: no,they pulled me in off the street for
questioning i asked for a lawyer they said we know
you did it just tell us how you did it I explained
i never left the victims side the object that was
stolen was a block away over a 12 ft sttl fence a
block and a half down and all i was doing was
walking down an alley Dominic: I was not questioned by the police at my home. I was arrested as I
was exiting a CTA bus. An alert had been issued for my arrest after
a robbery at a local store had been committed. The police drew
their guns and ordered me to the ground seconds after they spotted
me exiting the bus
James: i had missed a court date. i had contacted my
attorney who informed me that i had a warrent. the
police did go to my house but it was an old
address. they came 8 strong. there ws 3 u.s.
marshall present. this seemed a bit of over kill
as it was for a traffic offense Carl: no i was arrested when i was stopped for a traffic
violation from the i was taken to the town lockup
were i was fingerprinted and my picture taken i was
then led to a holding pen were i was fed a green
bologna sandwich, chips and a juice to await court
the next day Josh: I was at Roosevelt and Ashland on the night of St.
Patrick's day at about 2 in the morning drunk out
of my mind. We broke the window of Lucky licquors
and grabbed a few bottles od licquor. We didnt
have the sense to run even as the alarm was going
off. Cops were waiting. Jose: The police stopped me for (supposedly) speeding 53
mph on a 35 mph road. I was pulled over less than
a block away from my house. Upon the police
questioning if they could search the vehicle, I
denied the request. The police falsely stated that
they smelled marijuana in the vehicle, which
granted them probable cause to search the vehicle.
During the search, they found drug paraphanelia
and I was arrested.
JM: What was court like? Please give as many details as you recall. 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. Laura: I was given a court date in room Circuit Court of
Cook County District 5, Bridgeview Room 207 Judge
Kerry Kennedy.
It was drawn out over a few months. I was mostly
starry-eyed with all the legal words. Very over my
head... Fernando: fast talking attorney (states),lot activity,judge
wont let me speak,i didnt have a lawyer for the
bond trial,or the probable hearing trial,cant
plead my case,lot of shuffling of documents on
the judge podium,lots of other people behind me
waiting on their turn,judge and states attorney
using a lot of terminology i cant understand Gail: Stupifying.You would literally go to a court date
and be sent right back to lockup until that
allocated time when the state had to decide to
pursue prosecution or drop the case.It was sad.It
was unfair.I was unable to share my side of the
story.It was biased.It was shameful.I always ended
up leaving with a bond higher than the last. George: I went to court maybe 5 times.Each time they
continued it.On the third time the judge was not
there so it was continued again.The fourth time
the police that had arrested me did not
appear.Finally the fifth time the police the
arresting police and the judge was in court and
they sentenced me to 1 year. Rich: COURT WENT REALLY FAST, I PLEAD NO CONTEST WHICH
MEANS YOU PLEAD NEITHER GULITY NOR NOT GULITY. I
STOOD BEFORE THE JUDGE, THE PROSECUTOR READ THE
CHARGES. THEY ASKED HOW I PLEAD & I RESPONDED 'NO
CONTEST'.THE JUDGE SAID THE NUMBER OF YEARS AND HOW
THEY WERE TO BE SERVED. Mark: Court has a very bitter atmosphere. the officers
in the court room and in the back where the
holding cells where very disrespectful. at times
when i was in custody and they bring the inmates
out into the court room they tell you that you
cant turn your head and look behind you. so as you
look forward all you can do is hear your family
crying behind you. John: court was like a living hell just because of the
waiting game that they put you through the long
continuous before u go n after u see the chirf
judge in all dat also they bring stuff up in your
background that has nothing to do with the charge
at hand Juan: transported in a truck hancuffed with 50 or so
prisoners...so much over crowding...somany
people ther for gram or under amount s of
drugs...dont remember meeting any violent
criminals but people talked of violent crimes or
firearms possessions...in chicago they lock you
up for selling loose cigarrettes...the tax make
s apsck of new ports 13.00 so..loose cigs are
sold everywhere in the poor communities Erik: IN COOK COUNTY IN WAS EXSTENSIVLEY OVERCROWDED,
T WAS LIKE BEING CATTLE MOVED FROM ONE PLACE TO
THE NEXT WITHOUT ANY REAL REGARD FOR US AS
PEOPLE.
IN KANE COUNTY IT WAS A LOT MORE ORGANIZED, AND
VERY THROUGH, ALSO SIMPLE, AND NOT AT ALL A
HASSLE OR HARD TO DEAL WITH Scott: Court was the most psychologically challenging
experience ever endured. They wake you up at
4:30am to take you from on holding cell to
another. Court does not start until 9-10am but
because of the mass amounts of people and various
court house locations going back and for to
court to dreadful, and all this get you is
another continuence. Jason: i was always the last person to go to court. I
think the reason was because i was iniatially
going to challenge the courts juridistion on the
grounds of common law. Thee public defendeer
refused to represent me and from that point on the
judge was very hostile. upon turning myself into
court he revoke my bond giving me a 20k cast bond
on a petty mes. I had witnessed this same judge
reenstate bonds for the same reason earlier that
day except in my case. then refuse to give any
consessions for my lack of negative history Shawn: the court was all about a conviction rate and did
not care to take me to trial was threatened that i
would get a heavier sentence if i didnt take the
plea deal i was put in a situation where ther ewas
no alternative but to take the plea deal Dominic: Court was an all day affair when it came to transporting me and
other inmates to court. We were awakened at 4:30 in the morning
and taken to a bullpen holding cell in the basement of whatever jail
division we were being held in. Then we were transported to anoher
bullpen in another part of the jail. After a couple hours of waiting,
we were then transported to another holding bullpen, and from
there, each inmate was shackled and led to another bullpen that
served as a holding cell right outside the courtroom the inmate was
to appear in. Actual court time was brief, lasting only ten minutes.
This occurred almost every court appearance I made during my
35month stay at Cook County jail. James: going to court took 4 hours, moving from bull pen
to bull pen, getting separated to head out to
diffrent parts of the city. then when you got to
the assign court house it was another 2 hours
before you was called up to court where you sat u
in another holding cell. the you when before the
judge which may have taken 4-5 minutes then you
went through the process to go back to the county Carl: the judge asked if i could pay my fines or if i
could pay for community service i was then told i
would have to do 60 days for driving without a
license and i wouldn't have to pay fines i said ok
and was sentenced to 60 days in jail Josh: You have your own sell at the local police station
at first were they ask you questionts to
incriminate yourself. Then in the morning they
round everyone up to go to 26th and california.
They stop at other police stations to were the
paddy wagon is full and then take you to 26th.
Very tense Jose: During court, the police didn't show up and there
was no lab work, so I was granted a nollie pros
and released that day. I remember being very
relieved, but also very angry that I hired a
lawyer and basically threw my money away since
there was no evidence to prove my guilt. The
charge was also very sketchy, but I was angry I
had to sit in jail for a month for nothing.
JM: What were your original charges? What did you end up being convicted of? Laura: DUI, Disobeying a traffic device, Failure to
reduce speed to avoid and accident, Alcohol
Consumption by a minor. Fernando: robbery with a deadly weapon,simple battery is
what i was convicted of Gail: Aggravated kidnapping,criminal damage to property
and residential burglary.Aggravated kidnapping and
criminal damage. George: Battery,resisting arrest and aggravated assult. Rich: I HAD A STRONG ARM ROBBERY & A RETAIL THEFT. I WAS
ON PROBATION FOR THE ROBBERY & CAUGHT A RETAIL
THEFT. I WAS SENTENCED TO 5YRS,3YRS FOR THE ROBBERY
2YRS. FOR THE RETAIL THEFT. THE JUDGE RAN THEM
CONCURRENT. Mark: i was charged 7 different times with driving while
license suspended and possession of a controlled
substance 2 times. John: agg. battery n delivery of controlled substance Juan: felony possesion of paraphnelia...the charge was
thrown out no probable cause was found for my
search/...but like i said i was theere long
enough to lose my job , my place and my
possessions... Erik: DISORDERLY CONDUCT IN A PUBLIC PLACE Scott: Unlawful Restraint. This is also what I ended
being convicted of. Jason: my original charges was driving while suspended. i
eventually pled guilty to the same. Shawn: residential burglary,burglary i had to plea down Dominic: My original charges were three counts of armed robbery. I ended up
being convicted of two counts of armed robbery and one count of
aggravated robbery. James: driving while suspended and was eventually charge
with driving while suspended Carl: driving on a suspended license Josh: Commercial Burglary, Convicted of Commercial Burglary Jose: My charges were possession of a controlled
substance and drug paraphanelia.