Bernard Madoff pleaded guilty to 11 counts of fraud related charges today. The white-collar criminal had admitted to federal officers that he was the mastermind to a Ponzi scheme that swindled $50 billion from investors over the past several decades. Despite the magnitude of the crime, the justice system had allowed Madoff to enjoy the opulence of his Manhattan penthouse for the past several months. That life of luxury for Madoff ended today.
Had Madoff been an “ordinary” American, like the thousands of men with whom I served time over the past 21 years, the government would have insisted upon his confinement much sooner. Despite the educational background, the professional credentials, and the level of trust Madoff held, the government did not use a higher standard in judging him. Rather, Madoff was given more consideration than people who were charged with less spectacular crimes.
Madoff is 70-years-old, and it seems likely that the amounts of loss his crimes cause will result in his serving the rest of his life in prison. News reports have been announcing a potential sentence of more than 100 years, though I suspect the sentence he receives will be less than the 45 years I serve. Whatever sentence he receives, the natural lifespan of man will make it unlikely that he will live long enough to complete the term.
Since I expect him to receive a sentence of 20 years or more, Madoff will serve his time in either a low-security prison or a medium-security prison. I suspect administrators will send him to FCI Ft. Dix or to FCI Otisville. Either prison will have an abundance of men who serve sentences that are far more severe than Madoff’s. I am hopeful that his notoriety will bring attention to what I perceive as injustice in our prison system.
I feel opposed to our concept of measuring justice by the number of calendar pages that turn. Long-term imprisonment may be appropriate for some offenders, but this system ought to offer opportunities for men to work toward reconciling with society. Perhaps an offender like Madoff committed crimes so egregious that society will not accept his redemption. Many offenders, however, languish in prison for far too long. Celebrity prisoners like Madoff may bring attention to their plight.
I woke at 2:30 this morning to being my work of writing about this culture of confinement. Although I enjoy the time alone, and find some therapy in writing words on paper, sometimes I feel as if I’m yelling from deep within a vast forest. No one hears me. Thankfully, I had Carole to publish these daily musings. In time, I will make use of this documentation. If nothing else, I look forward to sitting beside my wife and discussing how I was think of her on this early morning in prison.
I had a lot of work to complete today. By the evening I had written seven blog articles plus a letter for Carole. I ran 10 miles in the morning, lifting my tally to 825 miles over the past 90 days. I helped a friend with a legal letter he had to write, and I proofed some of the typeset pages on the manuscript I began ghostwriting last Thanksgiving. It’s nearly ready. In the evening, just before bed, I learned that producers from Good Morning America called Carole and expressed interest in my work. That was encouraging, as it offered a measure of validation. Perhaps someone was listening.
Thursday, 12 March 2009
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