April 6, 2009
NYT: Criminalize the Criminals!
Am I supposed to feel sorry for this chic?
Valerie Gainous paid her debt to society, but almost went to jail because of a debt to Florida’s courts.
In 1996, she was convicted of writing bad checks; she paid restitution, performed community service and thought she was finished with the criminal justice system. Earlier this year, however, she received a letter from Collections Court telling her that she was once again facing jail time — this time, for failing to pay $240 in leftover court fees and fines, which she says she cannot afford.
Let’s clarify here, if she still owed money for court fees and fines she had not fully paid her debt to society. She had paid some of her debt to society; she just hadn’t paid in full. And, I guess her writing bad checks could have been excused for the same reason: she couldn’t afford to pay.
I don’t feel sorry for this woman, or any other person, being targeted by the courts to recover money that is owed. Why doens’t the New York Times properly criminalize the criminal, rather than the court system, which is just doing its job in order to save the taxpayer’s dollars.
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Valerie Gainous paid her debt to society via incarceration for her criminal conviction. To send her back to jail for not being able to pay the court fees and fines is too obscene for words. Valerie is subjected to discrimination from employment because of her ‘conviction’; to subject her to an additional prison term because she was discriminated from gainful employment preventing her from paying court fees and fines is unconscionable to say the least. Passing ‘bad checks’ is afforded a mere ‘bank fee’ for the employed………Give her a break for GOD’s sake!
Comment by Deb — April 7, 2009 @ 5:40 am
Hartford Family Court denied me temporary alimony and child support for 19 months. I have been unemployed for over a year. Ex makes six figures and lives in large home complete with swimming pool and tennis court with girlfriend. Our 17 yr old son lives full time with me.
ex’s atty is was a Rep on the Legislative Judicial Committee (same one that approves the Executive Branche’s Judicial appointments). Amazingly, these Atty/Legislators are allowed to practice law in CT courts weilding political influence over the courts as in my case. I was awarded all the debts of our family buiness and living expenses:
$75,000 and ex was awarded over $800K in assets and equity: he makes SIX figures/year plus bonuses plus $48K in rental property income. Oh, and the Rep/Attorney had the Judge court appoint an exDCF Attorney to be our 17 year old son’s Guardian at Litem (GAL). The Rep/Attorney fought a ‘bogus’ custody case that didn’t exist between our son, myself nor my ex….fattens up all the attorneys wallets! The Judge saw fit to give me 55% of the GAL’s fees=$6,000. The rep/attorney has dragged me through court hearings on multiple bogus ‘contempt of court’ motions, sanctions,
etc. disparaging me for interfering with the GAL’s work. all she did was ‘abuse’ my son (he’s tall, handsome and niave) Our son wanted his own attorney to fight for his property taken by his father (the real reason he won’t have anything to do with his father; plus the fact that I caught him in bed with our neighbor and ex friend and continued to live next door much to the distaste of the neighbors and embarassment of our son). However, the Judge believed the Rep/Atty and the exDCF/Attorney that I was guilty of ‘alienation of a parent’. The GAL court ordered our son into Therapy with her chosen Therapist at $200/hr which our son refused to do. He’s 6′2″ and 180 lbs; not like I can pick him up and carry him there. Our son talked to the Police to see if they would force him and was advised they could only encourage him because he was over age. (Over age to have a GAL, but Hartford Court Judge John R Caruso told me “This is MY court and I can do whatever I want”. Apparently this is true. He awarded me the marital home 3 days after it went into Foreclosure Court. I have been married 35 years and I am now impoverished and soon to be evicted. Judge Caruso wouldn’t even let my son live in his home until he graduated from High School……truly an evil man. The other day, the GAL/Attorney Rhonda Morra had a sheriff serve me notice that I am in contempt of court for non payment of her $6000 fees and all her expenses to serve and claim her fees. Ummmmmm. She is fully away of my financial straight as I have been asking her IN WRITING for months that I need money for food and utilities: NO response. When my car was pulled over and impounded for outdated plates (all vehicles are in ex’s name and the court saw fit not to give me title or exclusive possession of the home for 19 months); they only response GAL Morra had was to call ex to have son picked up and driven to her office for a meeting. Ummmmm. No response for my need for a car for our son’s medical or dental appointments.
Well, I understand that it is unprecedented for a mother with full custody to be sent to jail for non payment of GAL fees (typically flat fee $1500 but exDCF Attorney was awarded her standard fee of $225/hr to sit in court while Rep/Attorney Chris Stone filed motion and after motion, hearing and hearing to build his bogus case against me which of course the Judge bought hook line and sinker.
I am concerned that Judge John R. Caruso and Hartford Family Court will send me to jail because I am a whistleblower and this is what CT Governments’ Third Branch
of Government does to all whistleblowers: locks us up unjustly and renders us penniless and homeless. No it is not a ‘willful refusal’ to pay the GAL who abused my son her fees…….I would gladly to do so to get her out of my son’s life if I had the funds. I can’t pay my light bill overdue $800+, I get heating assistance: $625 finally last week (whistleblowers have to fight for benefits as our
applications always seem to get lost in the shuffle). I got food stamps for one week before being cut off but free to file for a hearing. Finally, after 19 months I get $250/week Alimony less Cobra and Copays=$300/month for one year then it drops to $175/week for one more year. Child support will stop in Oct when our son turns 18. We are trying to get funding for him to go away to College (out of CT as he has been retaliated against as well by DCF/the GAL/Family Court and the criminal justice system. Yes we were both falsely arrested; my charges were finally dismissed after great expense. Our son has been dragged through adult court for over a year and we finally got the Prosecutor’s evidence file (no evidence except a 4th person testimony full of errors taken by a Police Officer spread by a kid who dropped out of school and arrested for drugs and falsely getting a friends’ step father arrested). Son wants a Trial by Jury; prosecutor wants to send the case to Juvenile court now (closed hearings like Family court and son is afraid he will get railroaded). Oh, I was arrested for walking down my driveway to escort my lost friend back to my house…….we communicated by cell phones the entire way. Police never took friends statement; SWAT team came and arrested me for going to shoot husband with a gun (my cellphone?…..don’t have a gun, never did, and I hate
guns) The State’s Prosecutor in Manchester bumped up my bail to $200,000 (not legal but the State Government can do whatever they want to us and we can’t sue the government and win with all their ’sovereign immunity’ and other loopholes in law. And try to find an attorney who will take on ‘the whole state’ for us is impossible; most play the fence or sell us out for State Government Legal Contracts and other perks.
Will Judge John R. Caruso supress my evidence of bankruptcy and foreclosure? Why not, he supressed ALL my evidence at Trial and disparaged me in his blatently unjust decision.
Ummmmmm. Judge Caruso orders I have the ability to make $50,000 a year (in this economy? unemployed for over a year? Well, he is ‘all knowing’ he must know something I don’t) Geez! even my lowlife, sociopath ex(so says my shrink)says he feels sorry for me!
I chose to look on the bright side: Free healthcare, free dental (have a chipped tooth); free medications (have uncontrolled hypertension, anxiety, depression and PTSD)Free room and board……beats the Sheltler: funding was cut.
Sentencing will be imposed on April 28th @ 9:30am in court room B1 Hartford Family Court…….all are invited. Judge John R. Caruso be forewarded: if I see your ’sneering’ smile after unjustly supressing my evidence of your imposed proverty and homelessness; I will exercise my FREEDOM of SPEECH and give you the ‘bird’. My heart of hearts believes your soul is as black as your robe and as far as your ‘crony’, child abuser exDCF/Attorney Rhonda Morra and sleezy exRepresentative/Attorney Chris Stone (exMember of the Legislative Judicial Committee for many years) may your souls be damn as well……
Comment by Deb — April 9, 2009 @ 2:43 pm