March 3, 2015
The Book Editor In Federal Prison
My new profession as an unpaid book editor has gotten off to a slow start. I enjoy the reading but I dislike the editing. I decided to stop editing and simply read the Matchmaker’s book in its entirety to get a complete picture of what the Matchmaker is trying to convey. I am about halfway through the book and some common prison themes are present. I am encountering artistic and practical difficulties with the subject matter of the Matchmakers novel.
1- I was entrapped by the Feds and my Friends.
(My friend John) “was wired with electronic gadgets and a voice activated camera. He convinced me to enter into a transaction where I rendered my matchmaking services. The transaction was captured on video and audio tape. The tapes were used to convict me at trial.”
The Matchmaker complains about standard operating procedures used by the Government to secure convictions. His friend John was apparently apprehended first and was offered a plea deal to serve as an informant in exchange for spending no time in prison. Half the people in federal prison are “entrapped” in this fashion.
2- My trial was unfair.
“The trial circus lasted for 10 days, and jury deliberations lasted for another 3 days. The jury could not reach a verdict. However, the ruthless Judge issued what is referred to as a “dynamite charge” and instructed the jury to go back and reach a verdict, at all costs.”
The Matchmaker believes the odds were stacked against him at trial. What He fails to understand is that the Federal Government prevails in over 93 % of it’s criminal trials. The fact that the Matchmaker was convicted on 60 counts suggests that the jury had no problem finding him guilty, as charged.
The Matchmaker needs to realize that most of the inmates at Jesup FSL believe that they were mistreated by the Federal Government. They were entrapped, they were convicted by unfair means, or their lawyer did a poor job. Most prisoners do an excellent job of blaming others.
It is my opinion that once you get to prison, it is time to accept responsibility for your poor choices. Blaming others for your bad decisions is simply a form of denial. The Matchmaker and I will talk in the future about his book. We will also talk about accepting responsibility for our actions.
Ken Flaska
