Jack Harer
Well-Known Member
No disrespect BBC, but that is probably the most asinine thing someone in our position can say!!!
Thankfully, I have a pretty well rounded education in law, given the fact that I worked as a para-legal/law clerk in USP Atlanta in the early 80s. But this SHIT that you cant fight 'em so you may as well lay down is the very reason that they get away with what they do. In my case for example, they are required by FEDERAL LAW to comply with the IAD requests IF FILED if you are doing time in one state and have charges pending in another and a detainer is filed. Speedy trial requests also fall within that realm. However, they routinely violate this, banking on the fact that almost nobody will kick a bitch over it.
The sad fact is that the law is so convoluted that the average joe cannot possibly understand it in it's entirety (I doubt ANYONE can), but that is not to say that with a little (OK a lot) research, you cant teach yourself the basics. EVERYONE should be aware of the constitution and bill of rights as a matter of course, yet I doubt that very many even know what the 3rd amendment is, You need to KNOW your rights, because sure as hell the legal system will not tell them to you. To sit and bitch about the system and not have even a rudimentary knowledge of you civil rights is laughable, and if you are gonna engage in the activities we engage in, it is just as criminal NOT to have a basic knowledge of your rights and have the fortitude and willingness to flex your muscles and demand those rights be preserved.
If you ever find yourself in such a predicament, there are many resources available to you. Almost ANY law school will assign a student to help you prepare a case, every jail, lock up and prison is required to have and give inmates access to an up to date law library. Every jail or prison has someone who is versed in law, and rather than ridicule them, LISTEN TO THEM!!! To just sit there and stoically accept your fate without even attempting to learn your rights is just like telling them that its OK for them to fuck you. AT LEAST ask for lube!!! If you are not willing to help yourself, you deserve everything that comes at ya. Public Apathy is the very reason that we are in the pickle we're in. If people were more proactive in how the government works and more vocal about what they legislate, pot could very well be legal by now. It's the old, "Well, it doesnt affect me" attitude and thats probably true, RIGHT UP UNTIL IT DOES AFFECT YOU!! But by then, it's generally too late.
My parents want me to just let all this go and carry on with my new found freedom, but the simple fact that I cannot ignore is that my civil rights were violated, and I would be remiss if not negligent in not pursuing a Civil Rights Violation case against them, if for no other reason than to send them the message that it IS NOT OK to go around violating the peoples rights, so I WILL be filing a case against both the state of Georgia and the State of Tennesee in federal court for a civil rights violation under 42 USC 1983. If nothing else comes of it, it might help the next guy. You'd better hope that if you ever get in trouble YOU'RE that next guy.
If you are in a position to risk being arrested and jailed, as we all are, this is one of the BEST resources you can have at your disposal:
https://www.prisonlegalnews.org/displayArticle.aspx?articleid=22711&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1
And most importantly, the downloadable edition:
http://rapidlibrary.com/files/prisoners-self-help-litigation-manual-by-daniel-e-manville-pdf_ul8w8zxficwon.html
