Broken but not Broke
Money, Money, Money, Money
Let’s be blunt: for many, a badge is a paycheck, not a purpose. It's a career path, like accounting or sales, albeit one cloaked in authority and armed with force. Sure, some officers genuinely feel a calling to serve, but let's not kid ourselves – promotions, bonuses, and pension plans are powerful motivators. And what’s the fastest way to rack up those career advancements? More tickets, more arrests, and more aggressive charges. So, the next time you find yourself under scrutiny from the thin blue line, remember: they’re incentivized to find you guilty. Innocence is not their performance metric.
Truly, when was the last time you read a news article or Facebook post about a loyal officer who cleared a mistaken arrest? Never. We hear about the occasional officer who helps change a tire, but never about an officer who saves the life of a falsely accused citizen. Based merely on the outcomes of the trials in Laurens County, GA this year, less than half have ended in a conviction. Clearly, our neighbors are being falsely accused.
Why is this happening?
POLICING IS PROFIT
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POLICING IS PROFIT - - -
Officers are not focused on protecting and serving but producing and performing. Law enforcement agencies require significant resources - from patrol vehicles and equipment to officer salaries and training. Traditionally, these costs are covered by municipal or county budgets, funded through a variety of sources, including property taxes, sales taxes, and state allocations. Other sources are directly correlated with the number of tickets and arrests:
Sources of Income
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Speeding tickets, parking violations, and other traffic infractions serve as simple and sizable revenue for local governments. We all know that we are more likely to get a traffic citation at the end of the month when the officers are needing to meet their quota. Additionally, many people stopped for speeding have encountered the “friendly cop” who automatically reduces the alleged miles per hour over the speed limit they were traveling. No begging required. This happens, not because you discovered the one lenient officer, but because on state highways, a portion of the fine goes to the State Treasury to support state programs and infrastructures. A higher percentage of the fine is allocated to the state when the alleged speed violation is higher. By “being nice,” the officer (or the prosecutor in court, if it makes it there) has an incentive in reducing your speed to increase or maintain the city/county’s share of the fine. Again, promoting revenue for the local government rather than promoting public safety.
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Court fees, administrative charges, and other fines associated with the criminal legal system (such as those imposed on a sentence or paid as an incentive to have charges dismissed) also contribute to local coffers. Most probation sentences, both felony and misdemeanor, include fines, fees, and add-ons that monetize criminal defendants. Probation allows people who are convicted of a crime to serve their sentence under supervision, theoretically as a chance for reform outside of prison. But this “freedom” comes with a hefty price tag. Probationers commonly face fees for the supervision, for electronic monitoring, for administration fees (think: processing charges, drug testing, and other tasks, often at inflated costs), and to participate in programs (think: drug counseling or anger management). The vast majority of people on misdemeanor probation are required to do so, not because their offense suggests they need supervision, but because they were unable to afford the price of their fine at their court date. To pay-over-time, they must also bear the expense of supervision, administrative fees, and additional add-ons. Probation, therefore, disproportionately impacts low-income individuals, creating a financial barrier to successful probation completion (aka becomes an avenue straight to jail).
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Are the cash cows of the criminal legal system, churning out profits like a well-oiled machine. Every inmate is a walking dollar sign, trapped under the thumb of a perverse incentive structure that rewards overcrowding, neglect, and an endless revolving door of people cycling through the system. In nearly all facilities, inmates are charged inordinate prices to use the phone. In nearly all facilities, inmates are up-charged for common goods, snacks, and personal hygiene items sold in commissary. Every charge at the jail is income for the county as a glorified kickback.
PAUSE: let’s dissect JAILS versus PRISONS
These terms are often used interchangeably but are actually two distinct facilities. The primary distinction between the two lies in the duration of anticipated time to be served. Jails function as short-term holding facilities. People are typically held in jail for hours, days, weeks, or at most, a year (capped here if serving a sentence, not if awaiting trial). That means, the people within a JAIL include:
- Those arrested awaiting trial (aka innocent until proven guilty but were denied or can’t make bond)
- Individuals sentenced for minor crimes (misdemeanors)
- People whose trial has concluded but sentence is pending
A Breakdown:
Key differences between jails and prisons.
The Human Cost
The time spent behind bars, whether in jail or prison, can have a lasting impact on individuals and their families. Beyond the obvious loss of freedom, incarceration often leads to fractured families, economic hardship, and social stigma. Former inmates face immense challenges reintegrating into society, including finding employment, housing, and supportive networks. The mental and emotional toll can be devastating, leading to issues like depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Moreover, mass incarceration disproportionately affects marginalized communities, perpetuating cycles of poverty and crime.
The human cost of the system is immeasurable.
The profits from privatization of jails and prisons, however, is known. Nationally, the prison phone service industry alone rakes in roughly $1.2 billion annually.
How about Laurens County?
Well, under the current Sheriff, the Laurens County Detention Center not only receives “commission” under a contract with its private phone service company, but since COVID, it has never resumed visitation. The only way an inmate can speak with their family is through over-priced phone calls (that not only pay for the service but provide profit for Laurens County). Heartlessly, as indicated by a sign posted in their lobby, Laurens County forbids any and all personal items from being supplied to inmates. Inmates are required to purchase ALL items (think: toothpaste, deodorant, and, as I learned when my bra was confiscated, wireless bras) from the commissary. Under the current Sheriff, the Laurens County Sheriff’s Department is egregiously monetizing human suffering and human captivity (on purpose).
Civil Forfeitures
Last money-making technique worth mentioning today
In Georgia, cops are allowed to seize your cash, your car, or even your home based on mere suspicion—no conviction needed—that your stuff might be “connected to crime.” Thus far in my career, Laurens County Sheriff’s Department (specifically, the Crime Suppression Unit) is the leading agency to file for civil forfeitures (aka legalized theft by those with a badge).
Time for a True Story
Earlier this month inside the Laurens County Superior Court, a man (not a client) was transported from the Laurens County jail to appear before the Court regarding the issue that had him locked in jail for over 30 days: his failure to pay his probation.
After some sleuthing through official records, it turns out, back when this man was given his probation sentence, he was actively addicted to meth. In the woes of his addiction, he made a deal with the devil (aka Laurens County Sheriff’s Department Crime Suppression Unit) agreeing to purchase an amount of meth for the Sheriff’s Department on a reoccurring basis. Apparently, the Crime Suppression Unit needed copious amounts of meth, because they supplied this “informant” with—as indicated on his formal court documents—more than $500 in U.S. Currency on the dates of: May 30, June 3, June 11, June 18, June 20, June 24, June 26, July 8, July 14, July 21, and July 30. Eleven times in the course of two months! Per this man’s sentence, as provided by the Laurens County Sheriff’s Department, the total amount of cash given over the course of these 2 months was $21,272.00. Significantly more than $500.00 per buy!!! (That averages to just less than $2,000.00 each day.)
And in other words, the Laurens County Crime Suppression Unit (a unit you would guess from its title should be suppressing crime) donated $21,272.00 to the meth ring in Dublin, Georgia in a mere 2 months! And now, they are expecting reimbursement from this man, seeking it through probation (aka constant re-incarceration when he misses a payment). Court ended with the Judge mercifully releasing the man from custody but with an order to pay $680.00 per month. If he misses a payment, the probation officer present in court was clear on her intention to send him to prison. Regardless of the fact that he is no longer using or abusing narcotics. Regardless of the fact that he is the caregiver for an aging parent. Regardless of any of the facts that make him human, probation wishes to have him imprisoned because of money.
And, yes, it’s true, he will not be able to pay back his remaining balance to Laurens County, if he is sentenced to prison. However, we all now recognize that prisoners are profitable to the State. Rather than paying Laurens County, he will become revenue for the State of Georgia. You can decide if the State probation officer is considering that—or may receive a kickback of their own*—when recommending prison sentences.
To address expected comments by the Sheriff’s Department and to be abundantly clear, our community members incarcerated in the Laurens County jail are not being nickeled and dimed for “cost recovery.” Especially not when the Laurens County Sheriff’s Department has over $21,272.00 in cash to provide to informants.
The current Laurens County Sheriff’s Department is operating without morals, boundaries, or consequences.
So we’ll end today with two reminders:
1. VOTE TYLER JACKSON FOR LAURENS COUNTY SHERIFF
2. NEVER talk to law enforcement.
You do not have an obligation to demonstrate your innocence—ever.
You have the right to remain silent.
You have the right to an attorney.
Officers are not there to prove your innocence, they are allowed to LIE to you, they often misunderstand or twist what is told to them to fit their narrative, because their ultimate goal is to make an arrest. Period.
Silence is not an admission of guilt.
If possible, always record your interaction on your phone or other device.
* This statement was merely conjecture. I do not have any evidence of this being the case (only observations and speculations).
