Hi from Australia to all long-suffering friends, family and lovers of those incarcerated in Texas,
Does anybody know how I go about finding information on this jailer? He charged my man with assault in October 1991, for which Jesse has done 15 of 25 years and no end in sight. I have thoroughly tested Jesse's story from every angle, and the truth is that it was this officer who assaulted Jesse, not the other way round. So who should be doing the 25 years??? Jesse was threatened with 40 years if he opted for a trial, thus forced to plead guilty and take the 25.

He has been set off by Parole now 5 times, even though he was eligible in January 1998. The longer he stays in there, the more dangerous it is for him. Jesse told me this officer was sacked soon after he was sentenced, for assaulting another inmate. There must be some official record of this somewhere, and under the Freedom of Information Act, I should be able to access that, and start some action for my man who has been kidnapped by the TDC Injustice system. Where do I find this information please???

Has anybody ever had any success in calling the Texas system to account for its own crimes? It's a huge man-eating machine. We have both recently been threatened with dire consequences by officers, for complaining about the discriminatory treatment we receive during visitation. Seems like they are making good on their promise to cause trouble for Jesse now, too. I am so thankful that there is a righteous God in heaven who sees and will judge all the evil things they do to those unfortunate enough to be incarcerated in Texas, but in the meantime I really want to get my man out of that hellhole so he can start living at last.

Jesse'sgirl2

My only suggestion would be to get a lawyer. The lawyer will hire a PI and the lawyer will request the case history and the incidents against this jailer from the jail. If you try to go directly to the jail people for information, they are probably going to laugh at you, but I could be wrong. You could try to do searches on the internet with the jailers name and see, but I don't think that would be admissible to probation. Are you trying to get him released on parole, or are you trying to get his conviction overturned? I don't think that the parole people will care about what happened to the jailer. They are very heartless people. But, my bet would be that there is SOME law that an attorney can file under that says some part of tdcj/parole have to review his case under new information. If you want it overturned, there isn't any other way but to get an attorney. Good Luck with all of this and GOD BLESS YOU!

Hi Dawna,
Thanks for that prompt and encouraging reply!! I certainly do intend to take this thing as far as I possibly can - I have recently discovered that I can start a Civil Rights prosecution via the Criminal Section, Civil Rights Division, Department of Justice. There is a Statute of Limitations of 7 years in some cases which is worrying - but there must be some way of reopening this case and getting some genuine justice, not the arbitrary and racially biased travesty that passes for "justice" in Texas. After all, TDC has stolen the best part of my man's life already on the say-so of a bigoted, cowardly bully of an officer, and there must be some redress for this. I have already tried to find info about this guy on the internet, but nothing's coming up.

I am still hoping that someone else will recognise his name and be able to verify that he has abused others that they know of. After all, if Jesse's supposed "aggravated assault" was enhanced from 3rd to 1st on the strength of past misdemeanours (already long since atoned for), then surely any other evidence of assault etc by this jailer would have to count against him and in Jesse's favour, right? All things being equal of course - which as we all know, does not apply in Texas the Hater State!! I am dealing with the Ombudsman's Office re getting this info under the Freedom of Information Act, and I have requested Parole to re-open his case, but these things take time, especially as I am in Australia right now, and letters can take 3 weeks to traverse the Big Pond. So it's difficult for me to find or deal with a lawyer at present from here, but I will be back in the States in maybe June, and I want to have as much evidence together as possible by then, to present to an attorney. Any recommendations on finding a good one who deals with this kind of case?

Yes, I definitely want to get Jesse's sentence overturned, and try to get him some compensation (hollow laugh!!!) for the hateful way his life has been destroyed. Otherwise, even if they evict him from that luxury condo tomorrow, he would still be on parole for 10 years, and he would only have to breathe too heavy for them to put him back inside. Who wants to live with the stigma of an agg ass. charge for the rest of their life? Or to live in constant fear of some imaginary slip-up that would mean going back to that evil place?

How many times does Texas think that one person can keep on paying for the same "crime"? They do their time, they are released - then something else comes up, and because of their past history, the present case is enhanced. In truly civilised countries, past criminal history is inadmissible, and each case is judged on its merits. But in TX, every little incident - whether actual or contrived - compounds exponentially, until sentences are so ridiculously long that people just can not possibly live long enough to serve all their time. Then when they are inside minding their own business and trouble finds them, they not only lose Line Class status, do time in solitary etc, have good time taken off them, lose their property, lose access to all compulsory self-improvement programs - but Parole sees all this nastiness on paper and decides they need to stay inside several more years for more of the same appalling treatment and life-threatening stress.

It is such an evil and negative system, from which there is no escape, nothing positive that an inmate can do, to elevate himself out of this vicious cycle. Nobody in authority will ever see anything but the negative stuff, and all this nonsense about "staying out of trouble" and completing educational, vocational and religious programs to help with parole, is nothing but a placebo to keep these underfed, underclothed, mistreated guys occupied while earning 50 bucks per day per bed for the system. That's $36,500 per cell per year - it must be the highest real estate return possible!! (I read that in between oil and the stock market, US prisons are the 2nd-highest earning investment in your country today. Of course nobody wants to buck this system and lose all that income!!)

Imagine if we treated our kids this way!! eg because they made a mistake last month for which they were already punished, therefore we are going to punish them 5 times as much this time. Nobody would ever get to grow up. Thank God that at least His mercy is "new every morning", with all our past sins forgiven and cast as far away from us as the east is from the west! He will not remember our past mistakes and hold them against us, unlike the TDCJ.

What utter despondency and hopelessness this system engenders, what futility these atrociously-long sentences are. In Australia, where we imprison only a tiny percentage of the population that your country does - they would get about 5 minutes for what attracts 25-40 years in your "civilised" country; a stay in prison which tries to mimic real society as closely as possible so that inmates are not institutionalised - and a bevy of social workers to help them re-integrate usefully into society when they're released, along with all sorts of financial, housing and employment assistance.

The justice system in the "Bible Belt" should take a searching look at its cruelty, corruption and vindictiveness, and bring itself into line with divine justice, if it has any integrity at all. They should also investigate measures to redress social, fiscal and educational inequities which cause such unacceptably high incarceration rates in the first instance. The USA would rather spend your tax money on blowing up other countries and rebuilding them, or sending robots into useless outer space, than feeding, housing, educating and providing medical care for its own. Slavery never was abolished in the South - it just got a new, politically-correct and socially-acceptable name, the "Criminal Justice System", which seems to fool most of the people most of the time.

God bless you all too,

Jesse's Girl2

Wow Jesse, Tell us how you really feel.

Oops! Sorry! I got carried away. But sometimes you need to get passionate about something to get results, huh?

Damn Girl! Are you a preacher's daughter or what?
I would think that you would need a criminal defense attorney in Harris County or at least texas, but I could be wrong. It could be some specialized attorney. Be careful with the ombudsman's office and all of TDCJ because they are very cautious about giving information out to anyone that is involved with the inmate because they are afraid that the information will end up in the 'right' hands. If you can afford it, I would hire an attorney and let them start digging.
My personal opinion is that the texas criminal justice system is not all that bad. There are reasons for the way they do things and yes, some people get caught up in it and it makes it bad, but then you have guys like my husband. He NEVER would have quit drinking and cleaned up his life if they had not enhanced the charge to a felony. So, I am personally thankful that Harris County and Texas makes DWI's a serious offense and does not play with them. But, I also have a friend that is still in and he is being screwed by the parole board and by Dallas County and all you can really do is keep arguing with these crazy people. Good Luck with the attorney!

"Has anybody ever had any success in calling the Texas system to account for its own crimes?"


They have. results: The Ruiz Stipulation - Texas Prison System was monitored for several years by federal government. Many changes made. Texas no longer under monitoring.

Ruiz was a Texas Prison Inmate who brought suit against the system and won.

Sounds to me that your inmate might not be the good boy he wants you to think he is. Trouble begets trouble in prison.

The TDCJ ombudsman has NOTHING to do with providing assistance with a COUNTY matter. Similarly, the Board is tasked with reviewing the file in front of them. Once a conviction becomes a matter of record, particularly where there is a plea of guilty, they are not going to relitigate the offense.

Whatver documents are sought should have been obtained by his original trial counsel. There may also still be some documents that are a part of the file maintained by the District Clerk. Investigative reports associated with employee misconduct would probably have to be obtained through the HCSO offices although they may not be considered open records subject to release under a public information request.

Remember also in your diatribes...TDCJ had nothing to do with his conviction. Too often people tend to lump all agencies under one umbrella instead of paying attention to who plays what role in the process. And that process includes the legislators that wrote the statutes that create the enhancement provisions...

Hi Ya'll,

Texas law and outcomes are simply put protective.

Citizens are protected by what the state considers threatening,
and is unique, but overall maintains adequacy for its citizens.

I've told my husband before who is a recovering heroin addict,
and is "feloned" for petty thefts (that's how our state keeps
addicts off the streets) he would not be "inside" if he did not
break the law.

Society must survive based on some definition of justice, and
one that serves the citizens of the majority.

Frustration is not something new; I've been involved in changing
laws regarding inmates (pro inmate) on their Constitutional rights,
but would never say my husband did not deserve the sentence
given, for he knows the law.

Our inmates overall are not without intellect, the ones we love
are loved. Perhaps discussing the true sentence (isolation
and separation from the one you love) is best deciphered
within the couple, not the system.

Just curious...Will you move to America, and be a citizen?
If so do you not think it wise to learn our laws, our system,
and respect this country?

Sunshine...