"No, I used. I just panicked I guess, got too stressed out. Then they tested my urine the next day, and they're real strict about not using there. They kicked me out and called my PO. Man, he was so pissed at me."\n\n[[Do you want to go back to that program?]]\n\n[[If I get you out, are you just going to use again?]]
You're not sure why Jane Doe is being held here--usually women being held pretrial go to MCI-Sadface. Her record mentions that she has an alias, "Jean Doe," but there's no other information to explain why she's at Gaol County Jail.\n\nA cursory glance of her file reminds you that Jane Doe was originally convicted for resisting arrest. There is no other conviction listed on that date, so you can't even hope to guess at what she was being arrested for. Probably there wasn't enough evidence to convict her on it. \n\nThere are no [[new charges]] listed in her file--looks like this is just a straight probation violation. She must have failed to meet one of her probation conditions, or failed to report to her probation officer. You'll have to ask her when you meet with her. You know, assuming they ever [[let you in|Lobby]].
The unluckiest clients have a prison sentence imposed because they violated their probation. This can happen even if the client has no [[new charges]]--the sentence is for the original crime that put them on probation in the first place. In essence, their penalty for that crime is changed from probation to incarceration.\n\nYou do your best to keep this from happening to your clients, unless for some reason they want that outcome.
"They got me a job at the place I was at, warehouse gig; not great but it was my first job in a year, you know? And then they let me go, no warning, no nothing. And I need to have a job to stay at the house."\n\n[[So they kicked you out for getting laid off?]]
These visiting rooms are so small--really more of a glorified broom closet than anything else--but they all contain a tiny table and two chairs. Right now, there is a woman sitting calmly in one of the chairs, legs crossed demurely and hands resting in her lap. She is wearing the drab grey scrubs every inmate is forced to wear at the Gaol County Jail, but she has a regal presence nonetheless. \n\nYou take a seat across from her, resting your [[legal tablet|legal pad 2]] on the tiny [[table]].\n\n[[You introduce yourself to Ms. Doe.|Room1B]]
"Because of when I got arrested again," Ms. Doe replies with an elegant shrug. "Nothing I did, of course. I was simply walking down the street."\n\n[[You got arrested for walking down the street. Sure. How bout you pull the other one?|disbelief]]\n\n[[But your file doesn't have any new charges.|confusion]]\n\n
You're so tired of going to the Gaol County Jail on Friday afternoons, but it's the only time during the week you seem to be able to make it over there.\n\nAs you walk in through the front door, you see a few people waiting on rigid plastic chairs with glazed expressions on their faces. A few of them have small children with them. They have probably been here a little while, but they will have to wait even longer still--visiting hours for family members don't start for another hour.\n\n[[You're not here to visit family members, though.|expo1]]
"I gotta get back into treatment," he says, frowning. "In here, it's not like real life; you can be clean cause you don't know how to get anything. I gotta learn how to deal with stuff without using."\n\n[[Do you want to go back to the program you just left?|Do you want to go back to that program?]]
"Thank you. My case manager, she was all right. Maybe she'll be OK with me coming back. I've only been gone a couple days. But we should probably have another plan just in case."\n\n[[Are there any other programs you would be willing to go to?]]
"Do you think you can help me?" he asks, as soon as you have given him your name. "I want to be in a program; I really do!"\n\n[[Then why did you use?]]\n\n[[Tell me more about your case.]]
The table is small and plastic, with no obvious edges or corners. You suppose they don't trust the inmates here not to break furniture purely out of spite.\n\n[[You can use it to lean on while you take notes, though|Room 1A]]
Lucky number 47. And by "lucky number," you mean "not broken and also not in use." Still, it will hold your belongings, which is the important thing. \n\nHave you read the case files for [[Jane Doe|Jane Doe facts]] and [[John Doe|John Doe facts]] yet? You should probably do that before you meet with them, unless you want them to think their attorney knows nothing about them. Which, hey, sometimes you do! So you could also just sit and [[wait|waiting1]].
When clients are arraigned, the judge decides whether to set a bail or hold the client without bail. The clients you are seeing today are being held on a [[probation detainer]]. That means they cannot pay money to be released from jail; they will be held until their court date. On their court date, the judge will decide whether to [[reprobate your clients|reprobate]], [[terminate and discharge]] them, or impose a prison [[sentence]].
"How long have you been working as an attorney, if you need me to tell you that none of this is fair?" she asks, wrinkling her brow. "It's not like the system is magically better if you're a trans woman of color."\n\nShe raises a fair point.\n\n[[Tell me about your case.|What happened?]]
"Sure, you do what you can. I'm not going anywhere." \n\nShe flashes you a brittle smile, and you walk out of the room.\n\n[[Go talk to John Doe|Room 2A]]\n\n[[Tell the CO you are ready to go|Leave jail]]
"They say at the program I was in that relapse is part of recovery," he replies. "I've been trying to kick this for two years now, and I was doing so good at that halfway house!" \n\n[[So what happened?|Tell me more about your case.]]
"What, you think my first arrest was any different?" she asks, flicking a strand of hair behind her ears. "The first time was even worse. The officer actually cat-called me, and then when I didn't stop walking, he got right in my path. When he grabbed me, I punched him. I didn't even know he was a cop. He was in plainclothes. Read my file if you don't believe me."\n\n[[OK, fine, you were arrested for walking down the street. Twice. Why don't you have any charges this time?|confusion]]
"No thank you," she replies with a shake of her head. "It's even worse over there, and anyway they would just reclassify me once I'm sentenced."\n\n[[But that doesn't seem fair!|indignation]]\n\n[[Why are you so sure you'll be serving a sentence?|OK, why does she think that?]]
"Obviously, because they classify me as male," she replies with a vague gesture to herself. "Pre-op, and all that."\n\n[[What does 'pre-op' mean?|trans]]\n\n[[Do you want to be transferred to MCI-Sadface?|transfer]]\n\n[[But that doesn't seem fair!|indignation]]
"Seriously, how long have you been doing this job? Of course they can pat me down if they aren't charging me. But obviously he had arrested me, so he was going to have to claim I did something."\n\n[[Why did you have the blade?]]
"Yeah, I've been to Northeast Behavioral Help a couple times, and I liked Frank House. Maybe I could go one of those places."\n\n[[I'll call those places too.]]
"That's not how it works, man. Don't you think I would stop if I could?"\n\n[[I don't know, would you?]]\n\n[[Yeah, I guess you probably would. This doesn't look like fun.|planning]]
It's a pretty boring pen, really. You're not allowed to bring in pens with springs, so it's not even the clicky kind. You must be really bored if you're reduced to examining your pen.\n\nBut you could use it to draw on your [[legal tablet]] or review your case files again while you [[wait|waiting1]].
You walk over to the CO manning the desk by the attorney visit rooms. \n\n"All set, counselor?" he asks, rising from his desk.\n\n"Yeah, I'm all done," you tell him, and follow him to the heavy metal door leading out.\n\nAfter a few minutes, the door buzzes and he opens it for you. You nod and step out, blinking.\n\n[[Retrieve your belongings]]
"I am aware. Which is why I am going to do time over this."\n\n[[Let me talk to your PO, see if we can get you a deal|Janedeal]]
"Look are you gonna help me, or not?"\n\n[[I'll help you, calm down.|planning]]
Sometimes, the court decides to just terminate and discharge a person on probation--in other words, they just close the entire case. This usually only happens when the probation officer does not want to deal with the person anymore and the judge also feels the person has been or will be punished enough--so generally, it happens after the person spends a good long time in jail awaiting a pending matter or because the person is about to go away on other charges.\n\nIt's not the outcome you usually aim for, although it works well for some clients; at any rate, it's probably not going to happen for [[John Doe|John Doe facts]] or [[Jane Doe|Jane Doe facts]].
"That's kind of a broad question, isn't it?" she asks, raising an eyebrow. "Obviously, my probation officer feels that I did not comply with the terms of my probation."\n\n[[OK, why does she think that?]]
If a client is reprobated, the judge puts the client back on probation. No prison sentence is imposed, although the conditions of the probation may become more strict. \n\nYou're hoping you can get both [[Jane Doe|Jane Doe facts]] and [[John Doe|John Doe facts]] reprobated, if that's what they want, or at least avoid a prison [[sentence]].
The Gaol County Jail requires you to provide photo identification and your bar card. They also make you fill out a form explaining who you are and who you are visiting and why. The form also makes you promise that you haven't been convicted of any felonies, that you have locked up your belongings, and that you aren't going to take any photos while you are there.\n\nYou give these materials to the [[correctional officer]] in the lobby.
"The bastard patted me down, found my leatherman. Then they took me in for having a blade."\n\n[[Can they do that if they aren't charging you?]]\n\n[[Why did you have the blade?]]
"This time, I knew not to punch the cop," she says with a shake of her head. "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. So I just waited for him to move, and he didn't, and eventually he cuffed me."\n\n[[What happened when he arrested you?]]
"Thanks, man. I'm doin' OK here, going to groups and I got a bible study. But it would be great to get back into treatment."\n\nYou nod, and you walk out of the room.\n\n[[Go talk to Jane Doe|Room 1A]]\n\n[[Tell the CO you are ready to go|Leave jail]]
Sometimes, when people are put on probation, they have trouble keeping the terms of that probation. When their probation officer feels that this has happened, the probation officer can choose to violate that person. A probationer who has allegedly violated can choose to either plead or have a hearing, but either way they have to appear in court to resolve the matter.\n\nYou're at the [[Gaol County Jail]] today to meet with two people who have court dates regarding an alleged probation violation tomorrow.
"I know who you are," she replies calmly. "You're my new attorney. What do you need to know to represent me?"\n\n[[What happened?]]\n\n[[Why are you at Gaol County Jail?]]
"You try living in this neighborhood as a trans woman without any protection. You'll be dead meat. I gotta protect myself."\n\n[[That's... not really a legal defense to a probation violation for carrying weapons.|acceptance]]
You have a blank tablet with you for taking notes while you meet with your client. It's blank, and therefore not very interesting. You can use your pen to write down things Mr. Doe says.\n\n[[I'll do that|Room 2A]]
You have a blank tablet with you for taking notes while you meet with your client. It's blank, and therefore not very interesting. You can use your pen to write down things Ms. Doe says.\n\n[[I'll do that|Room 1A]]
Reprobate: A game about choices (and lack thereof).
These visiting rooms are so small--really more of a glorified broom closet than anything else--but they all contain a tiny table and two chairs. In one of those chairs sits a tired-looking, thin man. His short dark hair is grey at his temples, but you suspect this man to be no older than twenty-five. Your clients with addiction always look older than they are; their lifestyles age them prematurely.\n\nYou take a seat across from him, resting your [[legal tablet|legal pad 2B]] on the tiny [[table|table2]].\n\n[[You introduce yourself to Mr. Doe.|Room2B]]
Unlike the poor souls in the waiting area, you come to the Gaol County Jail every week as part of your job. You do your best to make sure the people being held at this facility awaiting trial get good representation and a fair shake in an unjust system. You see a lot of human misery and you often aren't able to help.\n\n[[But sometimes you are, and that's why you are here.|expo2]]
He shrugs. "Maybe? Probably. I don't know, I never mean to use, but I just get stressed and then I use once and then I get mad at myself so I use again, and then I get dopesick and it's... it's not good."\n\n[[Have you tried... not using?]]
You have a blank tablet with you for taking notes while you meet with your client. It's blank, and therefore not very interesting. When you get really bored, sometimes you play Hangman with yourself. You like gallows humor.\n\nMostly, you [[wait|waiting1]].
The table is small and plastic, with no obvious edges or corners. You suppose they don't trust the inmates here not to break furniture purely out of spite.\n\n[[You can use it to lean on while you take notes, though|Room 2A]]
There are a lot of reasons why someone might be brought in for an alleged probation violation, but they boil down to a few basic categories. \n\nOne issue people have is that they don't do things they are supposed to do--they don't show up to meetings with their probation officer, they don't attend treatment, or they otherwise just don't do something that some judge told them was important if they valued their liberty.\n\nOf course, people also have issues because they do non-illegal things they have been asked not to do--usually contact with a person they aren't supposed to contact, or testing positive for alcohol when they are supposed to be staying sober, or some other minor infraction. \n\nBut sometimes people are violated because they did something that is illegal while they were on probation. When a person on probation does something illegal, that illegal act can be the grounds for a probation violation, but it is also the start of another new criminal matter. This new matter is referred to as a new criminal charge, and needs to be resolved separately from the question of what happens to the person's probation.\n\n[[Jane Doe|Jane Doe facts]] and [[John Doe|John Doe facts]] both do not need to worry about this, though, because they have no new charges. You will just be talking about their probation violations [[once you meet with them|Lobby]].
After some indeterminate amount of time has passed, the correctional officer opens the door to the visiting room and pokes her head out. "Doe and Doe?" she says. You stand up, and she nods to you.\n\nYou walk through the door, place what few metal objects you have in a plastic bin, and pass through the metal detector. Eventually she gives you back your belongings.\n\n"You're all set, counselor," she says. "Doe is in [[Room 1|Room 1A]]. Other Doe is in [[Room 2|Room 2A]]." The next door buzzes and opens, and you step through.\n\nWhen you get to the other side, you start to ask her who is 'Doe' and who is 'Other Doe,' but she has already shut the door in your face.
A man wearing a suit and holding a briefcase comes and sits down next to you.\n\n"This is ridiculous," he says. "How long have you been waiting here?"\n\n"Not sure," you reply, shrugging and pointing to the broken clock.\n\n"Don't they know we bill by the hour?" he asks.\n\nYou shake your head. "Maybe it's shift change."\n\n"I always have to wait an hour to see my clients when I come here," he complains.\n\nYou wonder how he knows, when you don't even have a functional time piece to look at. Maybe he guesses.\n\nIn the meantime, you [[wait|waiting3]].
You're not allowed to have a watch on you, and the clock is broken. You have no idea how much time is passing. Sometimes you talk to other visiting attorneys and family members, but nobody looks very chatty today.\n\nSo instead, you [[wait|waiting2]].
There are two clients you need to see today, both of whom are being held on [[probation detainer]] because they are awaiting a hearing regarding an alleged [[probation violation]].\n\nYou should give the [[correctional officer]] your [[paperwork]] so you can get started.
A person held on a probation detainer is stuck at the [[Gaol County Jail]] and will not be released until their violation matter is resolved. If they are [[reprobated|reprobate]] or [[discharged|terminate and discharge]] they will be released from the courthouse on their court date. If a [[sentence]] is imposed they will be sent to a prison from the courthouse to begin their sentence.\n\nThough a person charged with a probation violation is entitled to a hearing, the standard of proof is very low and risks are high of serving time. Most people choose to stipulate rather than risk the hearing. If a person does choose to have a hearing, though, and the judge finds no violation of probation, that person is released and continues with probation as if nothing happened--because legally, nothing did.
There is a correctional officer standing behind the glass, reading a magazine. You have to wait a few minutes before she looks up. She rolls her eyes when she sees you standing there, but you smile and wave and dutifully place your bar card and photo ID into the bin.\n\n"Attorney visit?" she asks, sliding the bin onto the other side of the glass and taking out your documents.\n\nYou're tempted to retort that you're a visiting family member and you're just borrowing the bar card, but you hold your tongue and nod. "I'm here to see Jane and John Doe," you reply instead.\n\n"Go wait over there, counselor," she says, pointing to one of the rigid-looking plastic chairs. She places a visitor badge into the bin. She slides it back under the glass and makes a little shooing motion.\n\n"Every freaking time I get to the good part," you hear her mutter, as you trudge over to the chairs to wait.\n\nNow seems like a good time to review your case files for [[Jane Doe|Jane Doe facts]] and [[John Doe|John Doe facts]]--you may be here a while.
You hate waiting in this lobby. These chairs are really uncomfortable, and you have to read your files really carefully if you don't want strangers to see your clients' personal information.\n\nYou have already put your belongings in a locker, so you only have what you are allowed to take in with you in your lap--[[Jane Doe|Jane Doe facts]] and [[John Doe|John Doe facts]]'s files, a [[legal tablet]], a [[pen]], and your [[locker key]].\n\nYou wish they would let you bring in a book, but that's against regulations.\n\nSo instead, [[you wait|waiting1]].
The Gaol County Jail is where your clients await their next court date if they aren't lucky enough to [[make bail|bail]]. The jail is a male-only facility, and it has two attorney meeting rooms where you can meet your clients. You have to be processed before they will open the doors and let you into the meeting area, though.\n\nThe only way to do that is to give the [[correctional officer]] your [[paperwork]] and wait for them to let you in.
John Doe apparently was originally convicted for possession of an ounce of heroin. He was put on probation with random drug screens and substance abuse treatment as conditions of his probation.\n\nIt looks like he failed a couple of drug screens and was kicked out of his halfway house. You'll need to ask him what happened. There are no [[new charges]] though, so he probably is being violated simply because he didn't remain drug-free. You'll have to ask him for the specifics when you [[meet with him|Lobby]].
He shakes his head. "I don't know if they'll take me back. I guess if they would, I would wanna go back, yeah. I liked it there."\n\n[[I'll call and see if I can get you back in.]]\n\n[[Are there any other programs you would be willing to go to?]]
You use the locker key to get your belongings and slowly walk out to your car. You have a lot of thinking to do before you can help these clients--it's going to be a busy weekend.\n\n(End Chapter 1)
Elizabeth Richman
"It means I haven't had bottom surgery. Ergo, still a man, at least legally. It doesn't make a lot of sense, but here we are."\n\n[[Do you want to be transferred to MCI-Sadface?|transfer]]\n\n[[But that doesn't seem fair!|indignation]]