An
Offender's Story
I
started drinking socially during my last
year of high school. There were times when
I overdid it and was even stopped by the
police a few times but back in the 70’s
the cops would just take your beer or pot
and tell you to go home. DUI’s were
rarely handed out---at least through my experience.
But the fact of the matter is that I was
already drinking and driving at 18. Laws
started to toughen in the 80’s when
anti-drunk driving groups started putting
pressure on the judicial system, but I still
drank and drove -- more frequently now as
I was in my 20’s and was very into
the bar scene as my entertainment. I was
just “careful” I would convince
myself but in reality I was just lucky when
I drove intoxicated.
I drove with little regard for the consequences
I might face for over 28 years. Typical thinking
and self centered behavior of an alcoholic.
My
3 DUI’s came in quick succession
in 2001/2002. All occurred within a six to
eight week period! My trouble with the state
was just beginning. I am not even going to
go into too much depth about failed marriage,
loss of house, cars and jobs.
I was out of money by my third DUI (I had
already paid my lawyer a grand total of $8,000
for the first two and he wanted an additional
$8,000 for the third). I had to borrow that
money and he received it with no guarantee
of keeping me out of prison. In fact, he
told me that I would have to serve some time.
The question was whether it was going to
be one year or three to seven years. I did
not have any funds left to bail myself out
of Cook County jail after his retainer, so
I stayed incarcerated there for 3 months
awaiting trial. That was no picnic. People
were stabbed and beaten on the deck I was
on and I had to watch my back nearly every
day. I was elated to be sentenced to only
one year --after Cook County, I would have
been okay with the three years just to get
out of there. It was filthy. I had to sleep
on a mat on the floor for most of my stay.
Roaches would crawl over me at night occasionally.
The food was horrible and they did not feed
you much. One person was shanked (stabbed)
over a baloney sandwich he would not give
up. It was horror.
I was transferred to Statesville maximum
security for two weeks after my sentence
of one year for processing. I was locked
in a cell for 13 days with a person who had
murdered a person with a gun and then hacked
him a few times with an axe. He had received
25 years. He was 19 years old and told me
was drunk when he did it. I had one shower
and a ten-minute phone call my whole time
I was in Statesville. They would throw our
food through the opening in the cell door.
It was a little better than Cook County food
so getting thrown onto the floor sometimes
before you ate it was tolerable, if you can
imagine that.
I
was finally sent to my destination -- Danville
Illinois Medium/Max Penitentiary
-- quite a step up from my previous two places
of residence. The first sign I saw when entering
was “SIT DOWN WHEN SHOTS ARE FIRED” and
the second sign was “ANY INMATE APPROACHING
INCOMING AIRCRAFT WILL BE SHOT”. Lovely.
My
cellmate at Danville was a three time convicted
sexual predator. He raped little
girls. They caught him before he could kill
them. He was 65. He had seven years left
on a 30-year sentence. Most of his days were
spent watching the Disney channel and figuring
out what state he could go to that had the
least amount of reporting and registration
requirements for sexual predators. Most of
his nights were spend masturbating to a magazine
called “Barley Eighteen”. Again,
lovely.
The rest of my new associates were a mix
of rapists, wife beaters, murderers, hold
up men and gangbangers.
I consider myself a very intelligent and
observant person and it dawned on me that
I had not met one person other than my cellmate,
the molester, that was not in prison for
either a drug or alcohol related crime. Not
one. They were either on drugs or selling
them, robbing to support a habit; killing
or assaulting because they were under the
influence of something.
These were my new associates. This is what
it had come to. Upon my release, I checked
into a treatment facility to address my alcoholism.
I am now a member of AA and my life has turned
around 180 degrees. I cannot even begin to
express how I feel about myself and my new
life. That is why I want to share this with
you.
By the way, all of you are very lucky. I
did not kill or maim you or any of your loved
ones while I was drinking and driving. I
could have easily been the one to destroy
your life.
And now the cost:
| Legal
fees |
$16,000 |
(3
DUI) |
| Lost
Wages |
$40,000 |
(six
months incarceration) |
| Homes |
$45,000 |
(profit
I would have made by not selling under
duress) |
| Divorce |
$20,000 |
|
| Autos |
$10,000 |
(1)
1974 Z-28 |
| |
$15,000 |
(1)
1984 Porsche 944 Turbo |
| |
$12,000 |
(1)
1987 IROC Z |
| |
$12,000 |
(1)
Honda Accord |
| |
$
8,000 |
(1)
Jeep Cherokee |
| |
$15,000 |
(1)
Chevy Blazer |
| A
rough total of $193,000 |
I
have not added in other lost wages over
the
years, or money that I had to borrow
from family.
Steve G.
