Jailbreak......what jailbreak? Suicide.....what suicide? Lawsuit......what lawsuit? Money......what money? Why? Who? When?
Why, and better yet, how, could a man possibly be successful in committing a slow, agonizing, and gruesome suicide while incarcerated in an Iowa penitentiary, while it was recorded on video tape? Were there any racial issues involved? Try calling one of the investigators on the case, Connie Benton (515) 281-8073.
These are just a few of the questions Iowa tax payers should be asking themselves, but it just appears that maybe we all prefer to keep the blinders on and just let things like this keep going on as though they're just supposed to. We don't have the ability to readily check on our elected and appointed officials and it's about time a system was put into place. There should be some way the taxpayers can check on all the leaks, and in one of these cases, the life of another human being.
Our state officials always seem to find a way to get their raises and the higher they are in the pecking order, the better the guarantee. I don't think it's asking too much to put a system in place that would at least allow periodic system checks by the tax payers of the state, at least let us know when people are dying, or when we let people die. It can't be very difficult with the Internet access availability the way it is today and we should be able to see what's going on with the power and money we have entrusted them with.
A couple of cases were brought to my attention and when I made a simple attempt to find out more through the channels of our officials and aids, I was pretty much told that this information is not available to the public, well, anybody outside their little loop. Not available to the public? Why not? Are they afraid of questions?
This first case in particular very much concerns me, and I think rightfully so when one considers that a human life was lost in a situation that certainly seems to involve some inadequacies to say the least. At the time I contacted the government offices, I just wanted to know what the outcome of the investigation was. Was this case still in progress? Why did this man die? Why is the state being sued? What was it going to cost? Were racial issues involved?
In this first case, a California family was suing the state for the wrongful death of a family member incarcerated for a life term in one of Iowa state penitentiaries.
The man conveying all this information had claimed to be the husband of one of the state employed investigators working on the case. Although I can only assume that the alleged relationship of the two would produce a certain amount of accuracy, I did look up the name the storyteller gave me on a web site revealing that Connie Benton Connie Benton did in fact work for the Iowa Attorney Generals office and the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals as an investigator. I felt that it gave some additional support to his tails. Again, assuming the details to be accurate, it was very interesting to listen to this man discuss how the state was self insured and many cases were just settled to avoid time, costs, and exposure to the court system. Although the storyteller was not employed by the state, he freely expressed their ever increasing discontent with how the system worked, expressing that the whole thing was a load of crap before he continued with some of the gruesome details.
As I understood, much of the information was caught on video tape since a camera was in position to record what was about to happen. As the teller explained it, this prisoner had been given a life sentence and his California family had just pretty much disowned him, adding that there was little or no contact between them anymore. As all of the mental strain of incarceration worked on him, his emotional condition was deteriorating to a great degree and he was becoming more and more despondent and very depressed. So much so, there was an implied degree of concern by the prison staff and they chose to place him in a private cell where he could be more closely monitored by way of the security camera. At some point however, the prisoner apparently made the decision that he was going to do whatever necessary to terminate his own life. It was explained by the storyteller how the prisoner, lacking other means, began to throw himself against the concrete walls of his cell head first. He said it was a very grizzly scene as the prisoner began to bleed more and more profusely and continue to pick himself back up and take another run, hitting the wall with his head and body repeatedly. He said as the time went on, and near the end of what would literally become the prisoners eventual death throws, there came a point where he was having a very difficult time even standing in the cell because there was so much blood on the floor, also indicating that the prisoner would somehow get his footing on the blood slicken concrete, and amazingly, remain focused on his intent to finish what he had started, his self destruction. It's hard to imagine that a person can be so despondent as to ignore the pain of this trauma. Can you imagine what a slow, gruesome death that would be? Imagine, just hurling yourself against the wall until you do so much irreversible damage that you would die. Slipping in your own blood before your next lunge.
Employees of the state prison involved were watching this self destruction take place, even after concerns of the prisoners safety had been expressed. Where were the guards? Granted, they probably did have to take many measures to protect themselves from not only a man who had gone mad, but all the body fluids that could possibly contain an entire host of diseases, including the possibility of AIDS. Granted, also, it must have taken some time for them to prepare themselves for the entry into the cell, but as I listened to him continue his story, I found myself wondering why the people running the prison, were not in a more readied state if they were so suspect that the prisoner was going to possibly try and hurt himself.
I'm guessing there could have been a shorter response time. I would like to know if anything has changed at the prison. If the guards don't want to protect the people in there custody, certainly there are other people looking for jobs.
As the story was told, the teller was quick to express that the prisoner's life was not worth the effort it took to do what they did. It was strange that he would so coldly say that it was a load of crap that the family was suing the state over the man's death as though the prisoner was less than a human being, further stating the whole family was probably just a bunch of bottom feeders anyway. I doubt the man had been disowned by his family, it would be very difficult to deal with having a family member in prison so far away that one may realistically, never see them again. He was at least alive. Then to hear how how he died, knowing that it could have very well been prevented, it would be horrible.
I wonder what the attitude of the investigator is going into the investigation if her husband's is reflected in such a manner. Certainly for him to have offered such a statement, it could have only been an opinion based on the information his wife furnished him. Were there other factors? Was it maybe an ethnic issue? Was the prisoner an African American, or another minority? Had the guards already formed their opinion? Did they give the prisoner time to finish his self-destruction intentionally? Why hide the story? Is there more to it? Things they don't want the public to know?
I would have to say that my curiosity of an ethnic issue became much enhanced when the story teller started discussing some current events and television programming he had been watching. He asked, have you ever noticed how it seems that all of the people getting into trouble are, he paused, then said, "well", in a drawn out manner, another pause, then he chuckled a little and said, "you know, as during yet another pause, he waved his hand as though he was trying to coax a word from his listeners.......the "N" word"? And he began to chuckle again. He appeared to be very pleased and amused with the way he had gotten that point across. The "N" word? Once again, does this alleged husband share the same views and opinions with the alleged wife, our state employed investigator? I don't have a clue what the prisoner was as far as his ethnic origin, it probably never entered into it, but I guess one really never knows for sure, that's maybe why there should be some questions.
Don't you want to know what happened? Call the Attorney Generals office or the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals. We should know more details in cases like this, if it were our choice to inquire. What, if anything, has changed at the prison to keep it from happening again? What did the preventable inadequacies of this incident cost the tax payers? What lessons were learned?
While listening to story teller explain another case, I couldn't believe what I was hearing about it. How it could be anything but a complete waste of taxpayers money. This man explained how in this case, it involved an Iowa State University student that was from Illinois. As it was explained, during some work operation being done on campus, a heavy truck had to back across the yard, and during the process, as is usually the case, the tires left a recessed track in the lawn. This girl comes walking along and for some reason, walks off the concrete sidewalk and steps into this track and supposedly twists her ankle. It was said that two years later (the time limit for filing a claim) this woman is having trouble with her ankle. During the two years, she continued to have a very active life style and even continue with her dance classes as though nothing was wrong, but now at the time limit, there is trouble. She acquirers what is described by this man as an ambulance chasing attorney and claims that there is permanent damage so severe that she will not be able to carry the extra weight of a child in her womb should she ever become pregnant. This claim is routed through Connie's office, she reviews the case and through some sort of agreement. The man thought it to be an extreme amount for what it was, saying he didn't remember the amount, but indicating something like $30,000. He said that whatever the amount, the state's position was that it was just easier, cheaper, and better to pay it and make it go away.
The storyteller made the comment, Connie said just sue the state, they will pay the small claims just to make them go away. It's a great attitude coming from a state worker's perspective. I'm sure however, if she really did say it, it was out of frustration of being prevented from doing anything else.
These were just a couple of very brief summaries of what this particular investigator was paid nearly $54,000 to do in the fiscal year of 2005 according to a data base kept by the Des Moines Register on state employee salaries.
Also, there is a directory of the DIA employees and phone numbers if you care to try and to check on these or other cases.
I feel the death of a person should not be taken lightly, whatever the circumstances, and that the money doesn't do Iowans any good in Illinois or California. I would prefer effort be put into prevention of the serious problems and money in the pockets of Iowa tax payers fighting the frivolous issues. The chances are better that it will be recirculated in the Iowa economy.
I also feel that it is fortunate that on occasion a person such as the storyteller reveals at least a small amount of what is happening within a government related agency, it seems as though it's the only way the general public ever hears about anything. Especially the potential shortcomings.
In stark contrast of the negative comments about the state government policies, the people they deal with, and what the teller referred to as the bottom feeders, ambulance chasing attorneys, and the "N" words who always seem to be the ones getting in trouble, the storyteller appears to have found a more preferred, less volatile niche involving maintenance for a privately owned property management company. Along with the fortuity of being able to work in concert with a very close family friend whose name is synonymous with hard work and attention to detail among her peers in the industry, the teller can enjoy the opportunity to grasp hold of the tail of the 40 plus years experience she will share with him to help propel his career along a gilded path.
All one has to do, is simply Google the name of one of the tellers associates, Ginny Hausner, and they too would be equally impressed to realize that it produces a list of accomplishments almost equal to the number of years experience. Proof of unsurpassed dedication and ability that could serve as a resume in itself, revealing her and her associates to be a superior example of what her now deceased company founder, Reinhard Friedrich, may have had in mind when he made Ames his home. Mr. R. Friedrich and his sons incorporated both knowledge, and skill to obtain good people. Perhaps the state should seek out more people of this caliber to fill positions that dictate policy involving the welfare of Iowans. http://www.friedrichrentals.com/content.cfm?CID=27
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
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