Violating the Rules of Parole

Our American justice system was devised to make sure that the innocent will not suffer unjustly. It was organized with the goal of giving a reasonable amount of punishment for a crime and recognizing the hope that a person might truly be sorry for what was done and desire to change his behavior. With that in mind, many prison sentences include an opportunity for parole wherein a person gets out of prison but has to follow a set of strict rules.

Now, these rules were set up to aid the person in not going back to a life of crime. In general, they include having to report one’s whereabouts and get permission to leave the immediate area. They also include being forbidden to spend time with other people who have committed crimes, so that their influence will not prevail.

Some drug-addicted people are able to come clean from drugs while they are in prison, and stay clean afterwards. But others are not. It is sad to see that parole does not always work out with those who have been convicted of drug charges. Here are some recent examples of the revolving door in action.

On December 25, 2011, James Bauer of Arcata, CA was arrested for a felony warrant for Parole Violation. Bauer and two associates were found in a motel room where evidence led them to be suspected of sales of controlled substances.

On January 13, 2012 Kenneth Gatchek of Benicia was arrested at a Walmart in American Canyon. It was 4 a.m. and he was displaying symptoms of being under the influence of drugs. So ends his parole.

A report from January 16, 2012 states that Angel Alonzo, currently on parole from Cutler, is being sought after because an ounce of methamphetamine was discovered in his home. The California Department of Corrections is looking for him, as well as the Tulare County sheriff’s detectives.

One can only hope that these individuals, and other who are allowed out of prison on parole, will take the restrictions seriously and work to build a new life unlike their former one.