The
U.S. prides itself as being “number one” in a
general, meaningless sense, but routinely ranks
towards the bottom of developed nations in social
services provided. Indeed, the U.S. currently ranks
34th in
infant mortality, 12th among developed
nations in college graduation, 37th in
access to health care, and 28th in life
expectancy. As a result of these and other glaring
deficiencies, Americans with nowhere else to turn
are in growing numbers opting for prison.
Incarceration is the one category in which America
is without question the undisputed world leader in
both number and percentage of people imprisoned.
Dwight Eisenhower once quipped, “If all that
Americans want is security, they can go to prison.
They’ll have enough to eat, a bed and a roof over
their heads.” Today many Americans are making
prison a choice not because of a desire for
security, but rather in a desperate search for the
basic amenities cited by Eisenhower.
President Dwight
Eisenhower half-jokingly cited prison as a
potential source of security, but could never
have imagined that it would become a viable
option for those in need
This
past May, Lance Brown of Columbus, Georgia was out
of options. Hungry, homeless and facing another
night on the street, he took matters into his own
hands by hurling a brick through a glass door at a
Columbus courthouse in a deliberate effort to be
arrested. Brown had previously served time in
prison and was still on probation for a prior
offense. Before deciding to throw the brick, he
asked his probation what he could do to be arrested
again. The probation officer gave Brown the number
for an assistance program, but no immediate help was
forthcoming. Having no immediate alternative, Brown
opted to be taken into custody. Upon his arrest,
Brown said he was hungry and thought that if he
threw the brick through a glass door, it would cause
him to spend a few hours where he might be offered
“a sandwich and drink.”
Lance Brown’s only
available option for food was a trip to prison
Brown,
however, may have gotten more than he bargained
for. U.S. Attorney Michael Moore claimed to have
little choice other than to charge Brown with
malicious mischief against government property.
“The unfortunate circumstances in which Mr. Brown
found himself cannot be justification for destroying
property of the United States,” Moore said. Moore,
conscious of how the charges were playing in the
media, was quick to add, “And while I am personally
saddened by Mr. Brown’s plight, I regret that he
chose to violate the law instead of taking help form
those who offered it.”
U.S. Attorney
Michael Moore is happy to pad his resume with
slam-dunk convictions of the hungry and homeless
Despite
Moore’s aforementioned false dichotomy and professed
concern for the broken glass door, he certainly
possessed the discretionary power to forego Mr.
Brown’s prosecution. What kind of message is being
sent when a federal case is made of a hungry man who
throws a brick through glass in a desperate attempt
to secure food and shelter? If only the social
system in America were as efficient as its federal
prosecutors, incidents like this would be unheard
of. Brown’s quest for food and shelter ultimately
earned him 10 months in prison.
National
homeless advocate Robert Marbut says that Brown’s
sentence is unusual for this type of case. He
claims that homeless offenders openly trying to be
arrested for food and shelter typically spend only a
night or two in jail where they can receive
nutrition and hygienic care. He advocates that
there be alternate programs for these types of
offenders. “That shows you how wacky things have
gotten when we don’t have as a society an
intermediate program.”
Homeless advocate
Robert Marbut has seen an uptick in the number
of homeless opting for prison
This
was not Brown’s first attempt to be deliberately
arrested. He had previously gone to the same
courthouse and declared that he was going to kill
President Obama. Brown’s earlier attempt to
secure
food and shelter was not successful as court
officers did not find his threat to be credible.
Banks
have also become popular targets for those in need
of social services. In Gaston County, North
Carolina, 59 year old Richard Verone attempted to
rob a bank for one dollar in an effort to gain
access to health care. Verone, a former 17 year
Coca Cola delivery driver, suffers from an
undiagnosed growth in his chest, two ruptured disks
in his back, arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome and a
problem with his foot. He claims to have no savings
or health care coverage and is physically unable to
work. His claim for disability was previously
denied by the federal government. Verone told
reporters that he was hoping for a three year prison
sentence during which time he could receive medical
care for his various ailments and then be released
in time for his Social Security benefits to commence
at age 62.
Richard Verone’s
need for basic health care drove him to
deliberately opt for prison
Verone
had been actively seeking work, but was limited by
his health issues. He was jobless and living off of
food stamps and his near-depleted savings at the
time of the robbery. Verone claims to have
tolerated the foot and back pain, but when he
noticed the lump on his chest, he knew he had to
act. “The pain was beyond the tolerance I could
accept,” he told reporters. “I kind of hit a brick
wall with everything.”
Verone
says that he “exercised all the alternatives” before
formulating his one dollar robbery plan. As the day
of the robbery approached, Verone paid his last
month’s rent, donated his furniture and moved into a
Hampton Inn. On the morning of the robbery, he
mailed a letter to his local paper.
“When
you receive this a bank robbery will have been
committed by me. This robbery is being committed by
me for one dollar,” he wrote. Verone wanted people
to understand that the motive for his crime was a
need for medical attention. The note continued, “I
am of sound mind but not so much sound body.”
Contrary
to his wishes, Verone was charged with a relatively
minor larceny charge instead of bank robbery.
Officials say that the charge is unlikely to keep
him behind bars for more than 12 months. Verone
promises to commit more “crimes” if he is released
too early.
In
May of 2012 in Freemont, Nebraska, 51 year old Bryan
Henricksen walked into a bank and did not even
bother with a robbery attempt. Instead, he simply
told the staff to call the police because he wanted
to be arrested. Henricksen told police officers who
responded to the scene that he wanted to go to jail
because he had no job or money.
With a dwindling
number of social programs that are critically
overburdened, America’s homeless turn to prison
as their last option
The
local police were initially sympathetic to
Henricksen’s plight and offered to help him find
assistance, but none was readily available. With no
other feasible option at hand, Henricksen returned
to the bank and announced his intention to rob it.
He was finally arrested for criminal trespass,
disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace.
Although the charges were relatively minor, he
finally did receive his desired stay in jail.
On
October 9, 2012, 50 year old Jeffrey McMullen walked
into his local AmeriServ Bank in Cambria County, PA
and handed two notes to a bank teller. The first
note stated “Federal bank robbery. Please hand over
$1.00.” The second read “FBI custody. Preferbly
(sic) Loretto Pa. No press. Seal all files.”
(Loretto is a federal prison located near McMullen’s
home.) The teller, recognizing McMullen as a
customer and believing it was a joke, passed him to
a second teller. The second teller thought McMullen
just needed a dollar and gave him one from her own
purse.
Jeffrey McMullen
robbed a bank for one dollar in order to earn
himself a stay in prison
McMullen
finally spoke with the new accounts manager and
repeated that he was robbing the bank for one
dollar. Sensing that the demand was serious, bank
employees called the police and McMullen was
arrested. A Cambria County judge ordered that he
undergo a mental evaluation and post a $50,000 bond
before he is released. It remains unclear if
McMullen will comply with the order or opt to remain
in jail. Sources report that McMullen’s robbery
attempt was the result of his dire financial
situation and lack of other options.
Loretto Federal
Correctional Institution was McMullen’s
requested destination
McMullen’s
one dollar robbery occurred just days after a
similar event in Renton, Washington where a 23 year
old woman walked into the Key Bank and demanded
money from a teller. After the teller complied with
her request, the still unnamed woman told bank
employees that she would wait outside for the
police. Officers responding to the scene found her
waiting with the branch manager outside and she was
taken into custody without a struggle. She later
told detectives that she robbed the bank with the
intention of going to jail.
The
suspect was known to local police because of prior
contacts and believed to have mental health issues.
While the police did not specify a reason for her
desire to go to jail, local media reported that she
was seeking treatment for her mental illness and
wanted a “better environment.” She was arrested for
investigation of robbery and her case sent to the
King County Prosecuting Attorney who will decide on
the appropriate charges.
Is the federal
Bureau of Prisons now a social welfare agency?
Predictably,
there are those who cite these events as evidence of
the “desirability” of America’s prison. They assert
that if people are willingly trying to gain access,
prison must be rather nice. There is an oft-quoted
canard that “the degree of a nation’s civility can
be seen in the way it treats its prisoners.” This
is routinely repeated by apologists for the
prison-industrial complex as they try to spin the
notion that people locked into America’s prison
salmagundi are reaping some level of state sponsored
beneficence. In reality, the degree of a nation’s
civility is better measured by the percentage of its
population under lock and key. The dearth of
services for those in need, measured against the
abundant resources thrown at incarceration, speaks
volumes of America’s priorities.
Events
such as these highlight the dire state of social
services in America, accentuating the growing
disparity between rich and poor. It is almost
unthinkable that people would willingly sacrifice
their freedom in return for knowing where their next
meal was coming from, but desperate times call for
desperate measures. Lackeys of the System will try
to mischaracterize these tragic occurrences and spin
them as further evidence of the coddling of
criminals. The truth is that as times grow more
dire and people increasingly desperate, prison will
become the only option for a burgeoning number of
those who find themselves disadvantaged in America.
Sadly, for many a stay in prison is the closest
thing to assistance that the State sees fit to
offer.
The
only solution to this mess is to allow the US housing market to
clear. All of the bad mortgage debt must be liquidated, whether
via foreclosure or bankruptcy. Banks holding substantial mortgages
or mortgage backed assets must face the music and adjust their balance
sheets to reflect today’s reality. Undoubtedly this will force
many banks into immediate insolvency, but such banks must be allowed
to fail without receiving another nickel of taxpayer money. Banks
took the risks and made money during the bubble years; those who
exercised bad judgment must now accept the consequences of their
actions.
