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Free Timmy From Institution

T. Calderone

T. Calderone

Bluelight Crew
Joined
Aug 1, 2010
Messages
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He's not a bad kid or mentally challenged, just messed up in the drug court. Last year he was caught smoking weed at school when he was 14. It went wrong when he could not quit and kept testing dirty. They gave him chances to get clean and we talked to him forever but he wouldn't stop.

Between the hospital, case manager and court I feel like I'm getting the brush off. Timmy has been there since Aug 27. I can visit him at the hospital Saturday or Sunday morning and he gets one 10 minute phone call on Thursdays. I think he's learned his lesson and want him home.

Yesterday, I tried to get him out but they gave me a real hard time. Telling me I could be in contempt of court and I don't know what to do now. I think this hospital is scamming medicaid (nearly $500 per day) A six months sentence is big money for them I believe. My question is should I get an attorney? I am currently unemployed with no place else to turn.
 
^ I never even thought of that, CH; good suggestion! You could always go to Legal Aid and ask them. Also, there should be a Youth advocate at your county Mental Health services--you could try that. Was there a public defender that worked on his case originally?
 
Get an Attorney now!! Juvenile drug court is no joke I had friends locked up for years over similar bullshit to what your son is going thru.
 
In the beginning he was assigned a probation officer who explained the drug court option. So we chose this and he has a caseworker who has twice been replaced since march. So when I call and ask for xxx I mean the person who replaced her. No wait the new one. This is our "public defender" ie, the one who comes to court on his behalf. I still have not met the latest one or been able to contact her by phone.

I think as long as he stays without drugs, Timmy will be ok. I don't want to see him mess up again. Drug court was offered as on opportunity to get his permanent record clean. I could remove him from drug court and just go back to regular criminal system:

http://goodnewsfl.org/christian-news/interview_with_judge_elijah_h_williams/

Judge Williams is notorious for sending kids to jail until they are 18 when they screw up. When I worked at the shelter I talked to a few Hollywood cops who told me he's a no nonsense judge with limited patience. I saw he was seriously Christian fundamentalist at our initial hearing. Not that I think it's bad but keep your bible-thumping out of the courtroom. I've found myself in a quandary right now.
 
All this over some weed... They want to lock the kid up and keep him from the evil plant to protect his mental health. And yet the jails, institutions and judgment that they will put him through over the coming years will be a million times more damaging to his mind and his outlook than the original transgressions.

T. Calderone, I would suggest that you talk with him in a way that lets him know that you don't think he's a bad person or a criminal over this, and that you understand it to be a mental health issue that is bastardised by the system into a huge mess. Make sure he does not feel like you have abandoned him or taken the other side (he's a kid, he's going to probably see it rather black and white). You need to talk to the system one way and to him another, which can be hard to do, but it's for the best end result for everyone. I am not saying to condone him smoking weed if you don't want him to, no. I am just saying that you should do anything you can to make him feel like a person, an individual, throughout this.

The underlying point is that he needs to stay off of drugs/weed until this is over, or it will just continue to drag on. He has to figure this out for himself. I don't exactly know how you feel about kids smoking weed, but I would stress that what he's going through now is temporary and don't make him feel like he needs to promise to never tough it again, but just to get through the penalty time and then make those distant future plans at a later time.

About the attorney, I'd definitely see if you could get a consultation or two, see what they have to say.
 
How much was he popped with? What is his actual charge? Personally if it was a misdemeanor I'd take the conviction, ride it out on probation/court supervision, and if needed down the line have it expunged. But definitely consult an attorney. I'm on drug court myself (not juvenile) and we're allowed to self terminate at will and take it back to trial. First offense should yield what I said above (court supervision/probation).
 
The original charge was he got caught smoking weed at school and had less than a gram. The second arrest was for paraphernalia (a pipe) also at school and that's what got him expelled. This situation was compounded when he failed the diversion program. After this, went to the Starting Place and the counselor felt Timmy was not a good candidate. He was high at the first consultation. So from there the drug court continued with the expectation that he would stop but he couldn't. I understand the judge's position to put him in rehab but six months seems extreme. Tomorrow marks six weeks and I believe he's learned his lesson and he just wants to come home so I scheduled a hearing for Monday.
 
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