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Edited on Fri Oct-24-03 12:04 AM by DuctapeFatwa
Well, it happened. You come home at your usual time, a little after midnight, to find one less kid than you had when you left this morning at 5:30.
How long the police will hold your child for a first offense will vary, not only according to the offense itself, but local precinct customs as well as individual officer idiosyncrasies.
When you first arrive at the police station, especially if you are white, expect an assumption on the part of the desk that you will be in a position to part with a sum of money in order to obtain your child's release. There may even be some scepticism on their part when you inform them that sadly, this is not the case, and here some of you will be fortunate enough to be able to call on a friend or relative to provide some money, which will of course take some time, during which time your child will remain in law enforcement custody.
The conditions of this custody will also vary. Some precincts will, especially if your child is white, has not yet lost his middle class speech patterns, and your hot water has not yet been cut off, permitting him to maintain a grooming standard not too far from what he had been accustomed to, make an effort to keep your child in an isolation cell.
Once it is clear that no funds will be forthcoming, however, your child will in all probability be moved, and how long he (or she) is held may vary from a few days to a few months.
The public defender will be able to discuss with you the legal aspect of your child's case, pleas, range of sentence, etc, but it will be up to you to help your child adjust to life after some of his incarceration experiences, which will undoubtedly be ones that you would prefer had not happened.
While there are theoretically free or sliding scale mental health clinics, both logistics and the quality of service available will without a doubt seem to you beyond inadequate to the situation, and you will in all probability experience some anger at the reaction of anyone "in authority" you can get to listen to what happened to your kid in there, but on the positive side, you will not have to see this reaction much, as few of those "in authority" see any difference to what happened to your kid and what happens to thousands of them every day, if not in jail, at home or on the street, and statistics that you remember as having found disturbing in the past, when you had time to read about disturbing statistics, will come into a much clearer focus for you.
Once again, your previous education will pay off, as you will already be aware of many of the effects and manifestations of the aftermath of your child's first encounter with the justice system, and as the sequelae increasingly and negatively continue to impact your other children, your spouse (if applicable) and you, over time you will come to regard his subsequent arrests and eventual subsumption into the justice system as the inevitability it is, and although it is sad to say, probably better for his little sister, as having him out of the picture may give her a few more months, or even years, before she either follows the same steps as her brother, becomes a mother (unless you happen to live in a state that pays for abortions for indigent pre-teens and teens), or contracts her first sexually transmitted disease.
While some negative emotional reaction on your part is understandable, especially given the different expectations you had entertained regarding your child's pre-adolescence, it is important to realize that as inmates, your children are able to make, in their own way, a much greater contribution to the overall economy by helping to keep the corrections industry one of America's strongest and most growing, than they would working alongside you, for a similar wage.
This is also the time to acknowledge some conflict and remorse you may be having when on occasion you recall yourself saying things like "well when you have parents who are irresponsible enough to have kids they can't afford to feed and keep out of trouble...," or "listen, everything I have I worked for, and let me tell you, if you work hard in this country, you CAN succeed!"
The latter is particularly liable to trouble you after your first 2 or 3 per cent raise from one of your survival jobs, as your keen mathematical skills allow you to instantly see that you will now be bringing home a total of $00.14 more every two weeks after taxes, and can be an especially hard memory to banish as you wait for the third bus which will take you to your second full shift, where you are frequently complimented on the assiduousness and rapidity with which you pack the boxes, and in fact, it is your obvious work ethic and desire to succeed which has gotten you that raise.
But banish it you must, for arriving at home at your usual time of 12:20 AM, there is a notice on the door - proof that you DO have rights - the landlord MUST give you 60 days notice that the rent will be raised by $50 a month.
Coming Soon - Part 3: What does "working homeless" mean?
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