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In a NY Times (May 21st) article, Michael Douglas’s son Cameron (33) is cited as a cause-célèbre in “Doctors Seek New Approach for Jailed Addicts.”
Before...
The only reason that this site follows celebrity prisoners is if a gross injustice is apparent, or there’s an abiding lesson for the rest of us. The original article on this site re Cameron Douglas appeared on June 4th, 2010. I was more generous on that occasion… more…
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Of all those charged in federal court, 96% plead guilty and opt for some form of plea-bargain. Many also “cooperate” in one form or another and snitch out others to get extra consideration for themselves. The actor, Tim Allen, is one of those examples.
Award winning snitch...
Timothy Allen Dick (his actual name) was facing natural life in prison in Michigan back in 1978 under the then prevailing law for getting busted with a kilo of cocaine. He was fortunate (he claimed) in that he knew 21 other people involved with him that he could snitch out to save his own sorry ass.
The sorrier fact is, only 4% of those convicted in federal court have gone to trial. more…
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I see that Ron Reagan Jr., has a new book out on his father, the former president, Ronald Reagan. I also see that he’s getting a lot of flak concerning some of his comments from the corporate media. Attack even their servile gods at your peril…
Ronny's Promised Land...
He spilled the beans on the fact that President Reagan was exhibiting Alzheimer’s symptoms as early as his first term in the White House.
I’m shocked. Is there anyone out there who was not brain dead at the time unaware of that fact?
On his good days they could trot the president out for a photo-op and to parrot a few lines (although Nancy stayed close to prompt him). more…
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Without snitches and plea bargains, there would hardly be a prison system. Cops would have to actually learn and perform detection work (which is mostly TV fiction), and prosecutors and judges would have to try cases.
Haji Juma Khan
In a system where an abundance of the criminalization of individuals includes a multitude of sin/religious, moral, and consensual crimes, over 90% of felonies charged are plea bargained to avoid trial.
This tends to have defendants grossly over-charged to begin with in anticipation that the charges will later be plea-bargained. Kind of like the boosted “sales” in many stores…fiction to begin with. Another gambit is charging, or threatening to charge, family members. “Cooperate,” and they go free. Conservatives prefer the idea of justice as “business.” more…
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When I served time on a chain-gang in the Old South (1963-65), snitching was practically unheard of. The one snitch that I recall in general pop where I was at was punked out. He gave handjobs to all comers for candy bars, and blowjobs for smokes.
Joe Wilson & Valerie Plame
Today’s a different story. Over 90% of convicts have either “accepted responsibility” and pled guilty for a deal, and/or “cooperated” by snitching out others (even when they had nothing; police and prosecutors would provide) for an even better deal.
Certainly there are rational and responsible reasons for taking a plea—assuming you do so on yourself. But snitching when you’re a player in the game? You’re a punk.
These realities don’t exist in a vacuum. The prison system is a reflection of the people who create and run them. From the top-down. more…
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In the fifth year into my 20+yr prison experience (1995), I recall watching the prosecution of Hollywood Madam to the Stars, Heidi Fleiss, on TV. My kind of girl. Certainly had more balls than snitch-actor Charlie Sheen—who testified for the prosecution. Heidi’s assessment of Charlie about sums him up: “The guy’s a rat!”
Heidi Fleiss
Impressed by Heidi after her conviction for state crimes (tax-evasion, money-laundering and pandering), I wrote a letter to the judge suggesting that they send her to FCI McKean, PA, for community service. We’d have treated the girl right! I never got a response.
You’d think that Charlie would’ve grown up at some point. He’s certainly a successful actor. The behaviors he managed to get tagged for are relatively impressive. more…
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I guess I shouldn’t be surprised when I read in a recent issue of the Memphis Commercial Appeal that one of the most iconic of movement photographers, Ernest C. Withers, was apparently a closely-supervised, paid informant for the FBI: #ME-338-R. (The R is for Race.)
The news media has so far gathered FOIA files of his informant status for the years 1968 thru 1970. While thousands of pages have been revealed, the FBI refuses to release other documents.
As far as the civil rights and black movement was concerned, Withers and his camera were everywhere. Dying back in 2007 at 85, he had covered everything from the old Negro League baseball and the Memphis Blues scene, to the Emmett Till case (1955), Little Rock high school integration (1957), Ole Miss and James Meredith in ’62, up thru the last hours of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in ’68. Withers learned his craft in the Army during World War II. more…
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NY University Press
We hammered and chipped and chiseled slate rock blasted out of the quarry side into “builders,” blocks about 8” deep by 3’ square. I’d guess maybe 300 pounds each. They were used by the TVA and other projects to build bases for bridges and dams.
One of the first lessons I was taught in the South is if you’re from up North, you’re a “yankee.” If you’re from up North and come down South, you’re a “damn yankee.” And if you’re from up North, come down South, and try to tell them folks how to run their affairs, then you’re a “God-damned Yankee!” You might guess my status… It was 1964. The name of my enemy was Jim Crow. more…
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I’d been down long enough to recognize that the guy sitting alone at the 4-man table in the chow hall was new. I sat down and he soon became chatty enough. New here, but not new to the system…
He was in on a 7-year bit. But what caught my attention was his mention that it was his third felony offense—all for armed bank robbery! Here I am with a 25-year hit for a first offender drug case (in fact, conspiracy…not a drug in sight), and I’m looking at this guy, maybe 35, with a big grin across his face. Hell, I was in the wrong business! more…
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Rufus was the first to get up and change the TV channel. “Hey, Ruf! That’s Tim Allen. I wanta watch that show,” complained one of the prisoners.
BOP Prisoner #04276-040
“Yeah? Well, he’s Dick to me! I ain’t watchin’ no snitch on TV. There’s plenty enough of ‘em around here already,” Rufus replied, glaring at the speaker.
“What’re you talkin’ about, he’s a actor…”
“I’m from Detroit. He’s from Detroit. Back in ’78 he got caught with a kilo of coke. He was facing life. He bragged about how lucky he was…he knew some drug dealers he could turn in to save his own ass. That’s a snitch. Period. End of fucking argument.” more…
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