Category Archives: Restoratice Justice

January 17, 2013 · 8:01 PM

Why Lance Armstrong is a DOPE!!!

 

 

If you commit a crime, bully and abuse people and then need positive PR- who you gonna call? OPRAH of course.

Well, maybe call Oprah back in the day when she actually had an audience. Now it is just a very pathetic way to try and manipulate the court of public opinion.

Lance Armstrong has now confirmed what we all knew- he used performance-enhancing drugs for many years. SURPRISE! The issue really isn’t that he used the drugs, it is the lying and the bullying that he participated in.

From a criminal justice standpoint the issue is did Lance Armstrong open himself up to any legal issues? I say yes and time will tell. What is certain is that he opened the door to immense civil law suits and all because he still wants his 15 minutes. Lance- that is long over. Your fame is now infamy.

I have been asked if I think that Lance Armstrong deserves to go to prison. My answer is simple- YES. He lied, broke laws and strong armed people. Prison is the perfect place to teach him humility and respect. We waste time putting small time drug dealers in prison but it is people like Armstrong who belong there. This because he felt the rules and laws did not apply to him. He obviously still feels that way or he wouldn’t make such a grandiose gesture of coming clean.

Entitlement and grandiosity are two criminal thinking errors and are common in many people who break the law. Armstrong did try hard to mitigate his criminal activity with his philanthropy but one does not in any way make the other right.

Lance Armstrong- prison awaits. At least a prison of your own making. Not even the best prison coach- me- can help you now.

 

Wendy Feldman is a criminal justice expert, insider and family legal coach. She is available for private consultation on how to prepare for a successful incarceration, probation and re-entry. She is also available for media commentary and has appeared on shows from The Today Show, The CBS Early Show, E! News, People.com, Fox News, NBC News, CNN, NPR and Nancy Grace. She is a weekly featured guest on the syndicated America Now radio program. She may be reached at wendy@wendyfeldman.com

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Filed under Lance Amrstrong, prepare for jail, prison coaching, Restoratice Justice

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May 24, 2012 · 10:00 AM

Forgiveness and how it should work…

As a criminal justice expert and consultant, one of the questions clients always ask me is about forgiveness. Often they are told to try and make amends or simply ask for forgiveness from those in their life and those they have harmed. Yet, this is rarely such a simple task and if taken lightly can cause even greater harm.

First of all I think that Forgiveness is a wonderful thing, and I have both forgiven others and been forgiven myself. But, I said forgiven not forgotten. None of us should ever forget what poor choices we make and the consequences of those choices. Too often people re-enter society from rehab or prison and feel entitled to forgiveness. There is no such thing. Forgives takes work on all sides. Simply apologizing, or as 12 step groups call it “making amends” is not enough. You must mean it and earn it.

In criminal justice circles there is a concept called Restorative Justice that emphasizes repairing the harm caused by crime when victims, offenders and community members meet to decide how to do that, the results can be transformational. This is much more than saying I am sorry or asking for forgiveness. It is also a way of owning one’s own actions.

Think about it- in all aspects of life we need closure and simply asking for forgiveness may be one sided. This is why forms of restorative justice work. But a key question I ask my clients when they complain about not being forgiven is simply- “DO YOU FORGIVE YOURSELF?” Ask somebody this and often the response will be “I never thought about that.” It is my experience that one should not ask for forgiveness without doing the work and starting with themselves. Once you forgive yourself the rest will fall into place.

In a world that has gone a little crazy and in times of stress, forgiveness goes a long way towards the healing that usually needs to take place. Currently, many courts and even prisons around the United States are looking into this concept to bridge worlds that have been affected by crime. Those re-entering society should always look inward first and once done- they will have a more successful time.

I know that change is possible with hard work. So now let’s all look at somebody in our life and start the process of forgiveness.

Wendy Feldman is a criminal justice expert, insider and family legal coach. She is available for private consultation on how to prepare for a successful incarceration, probation and re-entry. She is also available for media commentary and has appeared on shows from Today, CBS Early Show, Fox News and Nancy Grace. She is a weekly featured guest in the syndicated America Now radio program. She may be reached at wendy@custodialcoaching.com. 

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October 19, 2011 · 12:04 PM

Lindsay Lohan and why she has the system by the balls…

Today Lindsay Lohan had the strangest of moments in a Los Angeles courtroom. Lohan appeared before Judge Stephanie Sautner for what was to be a regular probation review. It was anything but! As we all knew, Lohan had not been showing up for her community service or therapy sessions. But, the probation office put forth a report that Lohan WAS in compliance and yet the DA sought that the probation be revoked and Lohan go to jail.

Needless to say this is all not the way it usually works. To complicate matters, the Judge was furious and indeed sided with the DA and has revoked Loan’s probation. As most people in criminal justice know, it is highly unusual for a judge to be at odds with the probation department. After all, judges look to the reporting of the probation department to be accurate. It seems that judge Sautner doubts some aspects of the report as well as disagrees with others. For example, Lohan apparently “phoned” in some therapy sessions and yet her probation officer approved that. The Judge also stated that probation was wrong to allow Lohan to transfer her community service to the Red Cross. The transfer was made because Lohan was kicked out of the program at the women’s shelter after failing to appear for the mandated time. Believe it or not, I have several people I coach through community service because they do not see it as important. But, once they become immersed and see the benefits for them, they thrive.

Further, Judge Sautner was furious with the poor attitude that Lohan has shown, especially where Lohan has stated that her community service at a woman’s shelter was “unfulfilling.” Yikes! The judge has now ordered Lohan to perform 16 hours of community service at the Los Angeles Morgue! In addition Sautner also stated that the probation-approved travel to Europe was supposed to be a work related matter and yet there are numerous pictures of Lohan partying the night away. At this point Judge Sautner has revoked the probation and ordered Lohan to jail. Don’t worry, Lohan will be bailed out quickly and she will then face a full probation violation hearing November 2.

So, what’s a judge to do? Well, community service is supposed to be rehabilitative not solely punitive. But, in this case there are few options. She could order Lohan to jail for 18 months but as the judge pointed out in court, California is overcrowded and going through a realignment process that would lead to a very short actual jail time for Lohan. The bottom line is how to get Lohan and others the message that there are consequences to actions.

This case is one big frustration for the judge and one big bill for the taxpayers. My advice is to have Lohan serve two types of community service, one that is punitive and one where she can actually begin to give back! What a concept right? Lindsay, you might actual enjoy giving back and helping people. It is never too late to start practicing Restorative Justice. And, while you are at it, get some quality therapy.

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Filed under jail, Lindsay Lohan, Los Angeles District Attorney, prison consultant, Restoratice Justice

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September 1, 2011 · 9:03 PM

Hey T.I.- Prison is easy- Re-entry is hard!!!

Free yesterday and back in the slammer today! Rapper T.I. and his behavior yesterday proved too much for the Feds. This was so predictable. One would think that he would know the rules by now.

T.I. was released from federal prison August 31 and was to report at an Atlanta Halfway House to begin his re-entry back into society yet again. A person may transfer from federal prison to a Halfway House via private transportation, but that mode of transportation must be approved, and so does who is actually transferring the released person. So, surprise, surprise when reports surfaced that T.I. arrived at the Atlanta house in a tour bus followed by several cars in a private “motorcade.” It is obvious that T.I. had been approved to be driven in one of the cars and then went on the tour bus. A big NO NO. The Bureau of Prisons is very particular about how people behave while they are in the custody of a Halfway House.

T.I. has a long history with the Feds. In fact, he served a very light seven months in Federal prison in 2009 after he was arrested for trying to by guns from an undercover Federal agent. This after he served time on other charges going back to 1998. The 2009 sentence was a revolutionary Alternative Sentence that combined light prison time with house arrest and community service. In that case T.I. was looking at a 10-year prison term. Yet, T.I. did not learn his lesson despite a reality show called The Road To Redemption and was sent back to prison in 2010 for violating probation in that case.

Now it seems T.I. is at it again. So, how do we explain this? SIMPLE- he has an utter lack of humility. The key ingredient in life after prison is a level of humility. It is the same thing I coach people to practice during their investigative phase and a trial. Hello Blago and Conrad Murray listen up!

The main message here is that we need judges to keep offering alternative sentences to people and yet cases like T.I. make it difficult for them. But hey, at least we have Michael Vick and a true example of humility, Restorative Justice and hard work.

Successful re-entry is possible, but just as I said on Nancy Grace, Prison is easy, re-entry is tough. T.I., change is possible keep working on it.

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Filed under alternatvive sentencing, Blago, celebrities, community service, Conrad Murray, Federal Prison, prison consultant, prison re entry, rapper T.I., Restoratice Justice

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June 14, 2011 · 12:45 AM

Wall Street Gone Wild- Otherwise known as insider trading!!!

UPDATE!!
ZVI GOFFER SENTENCED TO 10 YEARS…RAJ LOOK OUT

 

Another day, another round of guilty verdicts for Wall Street Bigs. Last month saw the conviction of Raj Rajaratnum, and today we have the conviction of three more heavyweights; Zvi Goffer, Emanuel Goffer and Michael Kimelman. They are all free on bail while awaiting sentencing. Ahhh Wall Street, the land of enablers!

Rajaratnam, the founder of the Galleon Group, was once Goffer’s boss. The Galleon investigation is the largest ever of insider trading in the hedge fund industry.

All of these men are now looking at lengthy prison sentences. The other thing they have in common is the fact that unlike most white-collar defendants, they did not strike a plea agreement. Instead, they opted to actually go to trial. Can you spell delusional? In fact, over 93% of all Federal criminal cases result in guilty pleas and of those, over 83% serve prison time. Not great odds, right?

It’s too bad that we cannot charge the guys for all of the money wasted on “investigating” this mess. Think about it, this money could be well spent to help all of the men and women in prison for years on small drug crimes when they really need rehab. I am not saying that the Wall Street bigs cannot learn from this, but so far all they have done is cost the taxpayers money on long trials and what are yet to be filed appeals.

Wall Street, good for business if you are a prison coach but now is the time for The Street to get real. This insider suggests that the major firms start to clean up their acts and learn from all of this. I say this with the best of insider knowledge and intentions. At some point we all have to take responsibility for our actions and turn our talents to good, not greed.

Believe me, change IS possible, but it takes hard work. Boys, call anytime you need some prison prep inside info. Don’t worry; I won’t mark my fee up like you did.

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Filed under bail, Criminal Justice, Federal Prison, financial fraud, Goldman Sachs, insider trading, prison coaching, prison consultant, prison preparation, prison re entry, raj rajaratnum, rehab, Restoratice Justice, success after prison, Wall Street

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