90 DAYS IN JAIL

by Adrian C. Banks, 12/10/01

Throwing people in jails and prisons without a jury trial is becoming more and more common in America. During the course of my life, my experience with jails has been limited to two traffic related offences. So I have never been there for more than one day on these two occasions. But I sought to gain knowledge of what is happening in the jail in the county I live in, for many are incarcerated for non-violent crimes. I was finally able to talk with a man who had spent 90 days in the Anderson County jail recently. His jail sentence was the result of a bench warrant due to a traffic offense; namely, wreckless operation of a motor vehicle (he squealed his tires when pulling out the road) and a seat belt violation. Since his drivers license was out of state, he was ruled a flight risk and denied the ability to make payments for the fine, even though he has had a residence in South Carolina for 9 years as well as Louisiana. Interesting that this man, whose name is Michael, was at one time a deputy sheriff in New Orleans. Because of his incarceration, he was unable to work and continue paying his mortgage. He lost his home, even thought it was in a poor neighborhood.

The most common non-violent inmates at the jail are for child support. Few people are willing to accept the fact that all forms of taxation combined with child support puts many people into the levels of slavery that the Nazis imposed upon the Jews in World War II. For example, Arthur Greiser, who was one of the Nazi Lords of Poland, taxed the wages of the Jews in the Lodz Ghetto at the rate of 65%. All forms of taxation in America today combine to take around half the worker's bread, so it doesn't take much more economic oppression to put someone into the realms of Nazi slavery. But that's ok, as long as the welfare of the children are at stake. We are perfectly righteous in jailing people who have no money and ruining their lives when it comes to the welfare of children. No politician or judge would ever consent to being reduced to an $8 per hour wage earner who is left with only 25-30% of their labor to live on; and yet they place this yoke upon the necks of men and throw the slaves who get behind in jail month after month - all of this in star chamber proceedings.

Woodrow is one example of this. He was jailed for one year for child support. While in jail, the child support continues to be charged against his labor even though being in jail bars him from paying it. It's kind of like seizing slaves to throw in jail to be supported by taxpayers. Each inmate is subsidized by the state. Michael stated that, according to his knowledge from what he had heard while in jail, $117 per day is what the jail is paid per inmate by the state. So if you feed them cheap enough, you could profit very handsomely; and the more people jailed would only increase the profits. Woodrow finally was released after his year in jail, and went in search of work so he could "double up" on his child support, but his time away from jail was short lived, for three days later he was back in jail for another year on a bench warrant, and while in jail for another year the child support will still be charged against his labor. Then there was the night Woodrow called out at around 3am in the morning because the man who shared his cell was gasping for air. Woodrow repeatedly called out "there's a man gasping for air!" It wasn't until 7am that the jail was opened, and by then the may lie dead of a massive heart attack. Michael couldn't recall the man's name, but he was one of the non-violent criminals, probably a child support case. Since the child support is charged against inmates while in jail, perhaps the state should also consider charging it against those who lie in the grave too, and jail the corpses that refuse to pay. It is only befitting at this point to quote a portion of Adam Czerniakow's July 20, 1940 diary entry. Czernaikow, a Jew who committed suicide on July 23, 1941, was the Nazi sponsored mayor of the Warsaw ghetto during the Nazi occupation of Poland.

"Somebody built himself a tombstone in a cemetary with his name carved on it. It is to this address that he would direct his creditors."

Daniel had been in jail for about one year. His jail time began for child support with a 90 day sentence, but each time he neared the end of his sentence, another bench warrant was issued, and another 90 days of jail was the result. This 90 day jail cycle continues for Daniel.

Robert is an old man on Social Security Disability who was jailed for 4 months and fined $847. His crime was shooting a BB gun from his front porch and mooning his neighbor who had irritated him.

Steve was jailed for 6 months because of child support. But one day when coming in from work duty, 10 cigarettes were found in his shoes. This is illegal in the Anderson County jail - it is contraband. Consequently, the judge who he was brought before sentenced him to 5 years in the state penitentiary, and he will have to serve at least 2 years of this sentence. All of this without a jury trial.

David was in jail for a traffic violation. While in jail he was informed that his brother was dying. The jail personnel advised him that he could go to his brother's funeral in an jail suit with leg chains. David spent almost all his savings to get a lawyer and get out of jail.

A young man around 17 or 18 years old was caught with some crack cocaine. He was alleged to have had the intent to distribute. It was his first offense. He was sentenced to 17 years plus one day. The extra day means that the sentence is mandatory. He will spend the whole 17 years in prison. Another man was sentenced to two years in prison for a second offense DUI. Perhaps it would be a good idea to start rehabilitating alcoholics by mandatory prison terms too - say, 5 years for the first offense.

Michael said that you could always tell when family court was about to convene, because the jail would be rearranged for new inmates 2 or 3 days ahead of time; and that each time there would be 20 or 30 child support inmates added to the jail population. You will be happy to know that the jail has recently been expanded. An old building near the existing jail has been renovated using mostly inmate slave labor to make more space for more inmates. As Lincoln stated: "Why build the cage if they expect to catch no birds."

This is but a small sampling of what goes on in the jail, and there are thousands of such jails nationwide. Needless to say, people's lives are being ruined on a massive scale. But when the new courthouse was built about 5 years ago, the county boasted of the thousands of dollars saved in the construction by using jail inmates for labor. You need labor? Just put in an order at the slave warehouse. Creating non-violent crime is an excellent way to acquire slaves. It completely eliminates the expense of purchasing them and those with power over them have the command of their labor while they are warehoused in the jail.

Think about the child support jailings without a jury. Does jailing someone collect any money for the welfare of children? Would they have went to jail if they had the money to pay all the cannibals concerned in the matter? Does charging the child support against the man's labor while in jail collect any money for the welfare of the children? Then what is the reason for it? To punish disobedient slaves? The 13th Amendment states that you cannot enslave someone unless it is punishment for crime after conviction. The jails are filled with people who have been enslaved without due process of law. This is unconstitutional and violates the 13th Amendment. But the real question is: Since it does not effect you, do you really care? Also, since many people rounded up by the police power have no money - are ignorant of the law and their rights - and cannot afford a lawyer, they are easy prey and there will always be an abundant supply of these types of slaves. After all, South Carolina did rank 50th in SAT scores recently. As Hinton Helper of North Carolina stated back in 1856: "Thieves practice deceit upon the wise - slaveholders take advantage of the ignorant."

Then, of course, there are the unsanitary conditions that exist. The toilet covered by a plastic garbage bag with excrement in it that is days old. The cockroaches that awaken you at night crawling in your ear. But all these conditions are whitewashed whenever there is a tour, so that the outside of the cup appears clean. Then there is the two weeks Michael spent in solitary because of a cigarette butt.

We think little of the petty tyrannies that exist in America because they do not affect us and also because they are hidden from our view. How other human beings can be so calloused when it comes to the sanctity of human life will always baffle the minds of the friends of liberty. The reader may think whatever he or she wishes concerning what I have written, and whether or not the lives of these people have any meaning or place in society.