February 10, 2013 · 4:01 PM

Murdering COP on the loose..OF COURSE!!!

Once again we have an event that should make us look at our mental health problems in America. Ex cop Chris Dorner is armed and dangerous after killing three people and terrorizing the Los Angeles county, the police officers, the DA’s office and judges. There is fear he may even appear at the Grammy awards. This is ONE man! Yet, the power of his training AND his mental illness make him a domestic terrorist. I have several court cases that were continued last week as the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office focused on this case and how to protect themselves and the city.

Get it now- guns plus metal illness makes or TRAGEDY. As with all cases like Dorner’s, there were signs of instability but nothing could prepare us for what is happening now. A large part of the LAPD and the FBI are dedicated time and money into capturing this mad man. Dorner, a fired and disgruntled former Los Angeles police officer, said in the so-called “manifesto” he released that he was targeting LAPD officials and their families and will keep killing until the truth is known about his case. We need to take anger seriously. Not waste time on petty drug cases or giving people a zillion chances on DUI cases. Let’s stop crime by looking at why it happens and then how we can prevent it.

Certainly, there was no way to predict Dorner would go this insane but he now will go out with a blaze of glory instead of as the disgraced cop that he was. As with all Mass Murders, this is about power. Do not give him any. Capture him, he will probably kill himself and never show his picture. But nonce again use him as an example of mental health issues. Was he given proper counseling when he was fired? Is  there adequate therapy for those who face danger everyday? These are questions we must ask and address.

The fact is we can not stop violence, but we can prepare for it better and we need to start now. From alternative sentences on up to maximum security the mental health component is broken. Time to fix it.

 

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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January 24, 2013 · 12:34 PM

Why Rehab alone does NOT work…

 

Today comes word that country singer Mindy McCreedy is under investigation in the death of her boyfriend aka baby Daddy David Wilson. This maybe yet another example of our court system not understanding mental illness. Several months ago I wrote about the death of my former client Sons of Anarchy star Johnny Lewis. Johnny was sentenced to rehab and NOT mental health treatment. Yet, as was proven by his autopsy, he was not a drug addict. The issue here is that 12-step programs do not treat mental illness. Judges who simply orders an offender to “rehab” is doing the defendant and society a great injustice.

In the case of Mindy McCreedy who also starred on Celebrity Rehab, there is no doubt she is an addict. But, there is also no doubt that after years of the rehab circuit she also must have serious mental health issues. The same looks to be true for many other celebrities in the news- even Lindsay Lohan. This is why courts would be much better off having full psychiatric evaluations for people who are repeat offenders.

Yes, it is much easier to order a person to DUI diversion or a 12 step program, but in the long run we must get a grip on what is going on with the serious mental health issues that are plaguing our society and of course our criminal justice system. To label a person just a drug addict and have “therapy” performed by former addicts and not actual doctors is a very costly mistake. I often arrange alternative sentences for my clients, but I try my best to make sure that they will benefit my clients in the long run as well.

Reality TV shows like Teen Mom and Celebrity Rehab only show addiction, not mental illness. And these shows offer no solutions. There is help for people with mental illness and there is hope. But, we need to raise awareness.

 

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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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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January 3, 2013 · 8:56 AM

Will Prison help Lindsay Lohan???

Dare I say it- Lindsay Lohan is back in the news again for legal problems! Shocking no, but this time there are reports that she has been evicted from her Los Angeles home. This may or not be true for now, but it will happen. And here is why…

Lohan-, who I have been a huge supporter of, has never had to suffer any consequences, despite her numerous legal problems. In fact, she was not even ordered to what I would call PROPER therapy or Community Service. Working at the morgue will not help rehabilitate anybody and may make him or her so disengageged that they are worse off.

This is why I always insist that my clients perform Community Service, but service that is matched to them. For example, I have a client who is a young man who loves music; hence he is teaching music to at risk youth. The benefit is obvious to the kids but for my client it has helped him build some much-needed self-esteem and learn Gratitude. Everybody facing prison has low self esteem.

There are two key words for being in criminal legal trouble- gratitude and respect. Both lead to finding the often-elusive humility. In the Lohan case, as in many, the lawyer feels her job is done by getting the client “off”. The reality is that is short sighted as people like Lohan need much more than just to get out of trouble. They need to learn the life skills needed to STAY out of trouble. That’s where I usually come in unless I have also worked on the alternative sentence being presented. Obviously, that has not happened with Lohan. She needs an Incarcervention and not just for her crime sprees.

I do believe that Lohan will not serve jail time for her probation violation and probably not for her new charges of lying to cops. In that case she may face some LA County jail time that may be done under house arrest, as LA is so overcrowded.

But, I do see Lohan being sent to The BIG HOUSE- aka Fed town for her many IRS issues. This is not unusual and would not be simply because she owes back taxes. It is more likely that she is under investigation for not reporting cash that she receives for events etc…In normal cases this is called Tax Evasion or even money laundering, and this is where the Feds have the power. If I were Lohan’s lawyer I would look for a federal specialist before my predictions come true.

On the other hand, the question of prison actually being helpful is a likely one. In cases of people like Lohan who just have so much entitlement, a tad of mental health problems and substance abuse, prison may be the only thing that helps her turn her life around. The time needed to do this would fit right in with a year or so in a Federal Prison Camp. Lindsay, you may not agree now, but you will thank me later- well that is if you had some gratitude.

So, there you have it. I DO think that in some cases prison is a transformative experience and this is one of those cases. I know most of my clients with shorter sentences feel the same way. It’s when we get into the multi year drug sentences that we can all agree there is NO benefit.

For now an eviction for Lohan is not the point as BIG HOUSE ready or not, here she comes!

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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December 14, 2012 · 8:07 PM

Mass Murder is all about POWER…

 

Here we are again- another mass shooting of innocent people. This time children. But, what are we focusing on? The killer of course. Every day I work with people and their families because families are the consequences of crime. This case is no different. We are already forgetting about the victims and their families. Instead we are looking at why and how, and if the killer had OCD and other issues. Of course he had mental issues. I am sure there will be a long list of things he has done, but that does not make a true evil killer. True evil is just that.

The media also is dwelling on the fact that this happened in an upscale white neighborhood. When are these cases not in white upscale neighborhoods, and when are the killer’s minorities? Rarely, if ever. Gang killings are different. They are gang to gang and not on a mass, random scale.

As my fans and readers know, I am a big believer in change. I think that change is possible in most cases. But, this is not one of them nor are cases with severely mentally ill people. Mental illness is an ILLNESS, and without treatment only gets worse. This is what happened with my client Johnny Lewis. The judge ordered him to rehab, and as I knew he was not a drug user. I would bet the same is true here. 12 step and rehab does not cure all things and in fact often masks the greater issues. Judges wake up!!!

There are so many lessons to be learned from this tragedy; from our absurd gun control laws to how our sentencing system works. After all, our prisons are filled with drug offenders who often face mandatory sentences. Just this week I had 2 women begin 9-year prison terms for being non-key players in small drug cases. A true shame.

I suggest we look at this case and really start to make and lobby for change. The more we give the killer power, the less we think about the victims and their families. Even the family of this killer is harmed forever. But, to effect change we must admit there is a problem and look at solutions, not salacious media speculation. Our criminal justice system is a giant mystery just waiting to be exposed by insiders like me. Please join me in looking at the what now instead of the many reasons this killer did what he did.

Again, change is possible but this time let’s change the way we look at the case instead of worrying about the killer himself.

 


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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November 29, 2012 · 11:02 PM

Lohan and what price she might pay…

Lindsay Lohan has once again landed herself in a heap of legal trouble. Just as she found out she would be charged next week in Los Angeles for lying to police after a June car accident, she is in yet another bind. A new arrest in NYC for assault. I call people who commit a variety pack of crimes people in need of an Incarcervention. That is an intervention with a criminal legal component. It is common for people in this pattern to not only commit several crimes, but also several types of crimes. With Lohan we have DUI’s, theft and now assault. Quite a combo.

The new charges in Los Angeles are all misdemeanor charges that would normally be eligible for an alternative sentence of rehab, therapy and community service, but because she is already on probation, she may actually do some jail time. In addition, if she is found to have violated her probation she could be ordered to serve a larger part of that original sentence. Now Lohan also faces an assault charge in NYC. Time will tell if the DA files a criminal complaint in that case.

But, no matter what, it is clear that Lindsay is in need of a new round of therapy, accountability and a dose of humility. I tell all of my clients to get a head start on the humility train, as that is a key to success once in our criminal justice system. The two keys are respect and humility. As for Ms Lohan and all of the other celebrity cases in the news this week- acting entitled gets you nowhere except a mug shot gallery. But, change is possible as I always say. But that takes work.

 

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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November 9, 2012 · 9:19 PM

Young actress Ariel Winter and shining the light on CHILD ABUSE

Modern Family TV star Ariel Winter is now front-page news. Not for her talent, but for allegations her own mother has filed against and about her. But, this case shines the light on more than just a child star, a stage mom and the law. It helps us take a good look at the huge problem of child abuse and neglect in our country.

In fact, every day five children DIE from abuse or neglect in the U.S. This is shameful. In the case of Ariel Winter it is hard to know where to start and what is fact and fiction. What we do know is that this 14-year-old star of Modern Family has a sad home life mainly due to her mother Chrisoula Workman. As is typical in Hollywood there is now a fight over the $75,000 a week Ariel earns and who should have custody/guardianship over her and obviously over her money.

What is curious is that Workman has called the authorities on her own daughter and thus has incriminated herself! In September Workman filed a police report and a DCFS report that she “walked in” on her 14-year-old daughter and her 18-year-old boyfriend having sex. To make matters worse she claims that a sexual relationship was going on for five months. So, where was Workman, the mother, during this time? Why wasn’t she protecting her child and why did she ONLY report this months later?

Additionally, Ariel was placed Oct 3 under the temporary care of her older sister Shanelle Workman partly because of allegations that their mother was emotionally and physically abusive. Even more shocking is that Shanelle was placed in foster care in the 1990’s due to problems with her mother. There is no doubt that there is a form of child abuse here. The question is to what extent.

Chrisoula seems to have handled the situation ALL wrong, and certainly not like a caring mother. Now she will have to face a CPS- DCFS investigation and if Chrisoula is wrong, she herself could face multiple charges. If Chrisoula is right, the boyfriend Cameron Palatas could face statutory rape charges himself. What a sad mess and true disaster. Those of familiar with the CPS- DCFS system know that not only is it flawed it is BROKEN. Often times unskilled volunteers called CASA workers get involved and complicate things further. In cases like this when there is a great deal of money at stake, these cases if not handled properly drag on for years and lead to fight after fight.

I have much experience guiding clients through the CPS process. When it works it does save children and when it doesn’t it destroys them. Family court is one of the worst places on earth. It will be interesting to see how justice works in this case. Certainly I will be watching closely and hoping that if nothing else we can use this case as a lighting rod to look at the problem and sickness of child abuse in this country.

Stay tuned…

 

 

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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