|
|
| Firing, Controversy Follow Foreman's Gift of Socks |
| By Indianapolis Star |
| Published: 06/04/2003 |
|
The raggedy, prison-issued socks they wore exposed cuts, gashes and blisters that made it tough to mow, trim and weed the 217-acre Wabash Valley Correctional Facility. After trying without success to get prison officials to provide new socks, a frustrated Adams said he committed an act of kindness in May that cost him his job: He went to Wal-Mart, plunked down less than $10 for two bags of white tube socks and gave them to inmates. That violated prison rules -- and a state law -- forbidding 'trafficking,' or giving inmates anything without permission. 'Probably some sort of punishment was warranted,' said the 52-year-old Vincennes man, whose record had been spotless. 'I just can't believe I was fired.' Help in the fight to get his $23,888-a-year job at the Carlisle prison back has come from high places. Thanks to the clout of his brother-in-law, Mark Palmer, a former state lawmaker turned lobbyist, the firing sparked an extraordinary attempt last month by the Indiana General Assembly to come to his aid. The effort was blocked by Gov. Frank O'Bannon, who in a veto message signed May 8 called the bill 'inappropriate legislative interference.' House Enrolled Act 1525 doesn't name Adams; it simply describes circumstances of a firing that apply only to him. 'It may have been inappropriate intervention, but we heard testimony, and this thing was voted on in committee. It wasn't slipped in at the last minute,' said Rep. Ed Mahern, D-Indianapolis. 'The prisons weren't meeting basic needs,' said Mahern, who had the amendment drafted. 'He provided something for health and safety reasons.' The state is obligated to supply inmates with appropriate clothing, including T-shirts, coats and socks. To maintain his 160-acre farm -- corn, soybeans, wheat and 18 head of cattle aren't enough to pay the bills -- Adams started driving semis and gravel trucks part time after losing his job. Palmer, an attorney with Sommer Barnard Ackerson, will represent his brother-in-law as he appeals the firing. But that could take months or longer to resolve. They had hoped for a quicker reversal. 'It seemed to me an absurd and unbelievable result,' Palmer said. 'He admits that he probably didn't use the best judgment, but he didn't gain anything from it.' Indiana Department of Correction officials say the logic behind Adams' firing goes like this: Give a guy a pair of socks, next thing you know a prison could spin out of control. Something like that happened in 1975. An officer who gave cigarettes to inmates was later blackmailed. To avoid having inmates turn him in, the officer smuggled weapons and ammunition inmates wanted into the Indiana State Prison at Michigan City. The convicts -- three killers among them -- used the weapons to take hostages, including the warden and his family. All were released unharmed. But such incidents underscore the need for zealous enforcement of laws and policies against trafficking, said Pam Pattison, a prison spokeswoman. 'It starts innocently enough,' she said, 'but it can escalate to the point where the inmates have you.' Contraband smuggled in during the years has included: cell phones, cigarettes, computer games, fake mustaches, hair dye, jewelry, modems, money, resume-writing software, wigs, women's underwear and zip guns. Adams, who started with the DOC as a corrections officer in November 1995, knew this. Still, he didn't see harm in giving socks to members of his grounds crew, who operate push mowers and weed whackers. One inmate's heel had been rubbed raw, and his toes were bleeding. 'I see where the DOC's coming from,' Adams said, 'but I think it's overkill.' Prison officials say Adams could have asked a supervisor to get socks but claim he never did. Adams said that as he scoured the prison for socks, he was shown bare shelves and told more would not arrive for months. Money in the prison maintenance budget couldn't be used to buy socks, either, he was told. After he couldn't find any mismatched socks at the prison laundry, he went to Wal-Mart. Nothing came of the purchase until seven months later. In December, a search turned up work gloves and wool socks from outside the prison in a pickup Adams and other groundskeepers used, sparking a prison investigation. An inmate's mother had put them in the truck. Adams told investigators he knew the inmate had been trying to obtain the items. His failure to discourage this and report it were cited among the reasons for his firing. But what landed Adams in real trouble was telling them about the socks. 'The interview was pretty much over after I said that,' he said. 'I think my explanation fell on deaf ears.' He was not charged with trafficking, a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $5,000 fine. But prison officials hinted he could have been. As Adams saw it, the inmates who worked for him were low- risk. They lived in a dormitory outside the razor-wire fence that surrounds 2,000 violent offenders. That figured into his decision to buy the socks. He wouldn't have done such a thing for other inmates, he said. Adams has a half-dozen letters of appreciation in his file for such actions as building a firing range for officers' target practice and working double shifts to clear snow and ice from prison roads. At least nine co-workers wrote to urge state officials to rehire him. They uniformly praised his honesty and concern for inmates' welfare and prison safety. |
clb20181103
michael kors
kyrie 4
birkenstock uk
coach outlet online
ecco shoes for women
nike air max 90
coach outlet online
nike outlet online
cheap oakley sunglasses
nike outlet store
christian louboutin shoes
toms shoes
coach factorty outlet store
canadian goose jacket
cheap jordans free shipping
converse outlet
canada goose outlet
nike shox shoes
louboutin shoes
kate spade handbags
gucci outlet online
ugg outlet online
astros jerseys
ecco outlet
michael kors outlet
michael kors outlet online
cheap jordan shoes
christian louboutin shoes
pandora charms outlet
birkenstock sale
canada goose jackets
toms outlet store
michael kors outlet clearance
discount oakley sunglasses
adidas outlet online
cheap jordans
coach outlet online
ugg outlet online
louboutin outlet
christian louboutin shoes
adidas store
nike air presto
kate spade outlet online
coach factory outlet online
coach outlet canada
nike outlet store
coach factory outlet
canada goose outlet store
gucci outlet online
true religion jeans
true religion outlet store
louis vuitton handbags
ugg boots outlet
uggs outlet
durant shoes
nmd adidas
pandora outlet
coach factory outlet online
pandora charms sale clearance
oakley sunglasses outlet
coach outlet
cheap air jordans
tory burch outlet online
fitflop sandals
michael kors outlet online
michael kors outlet store
pandora jewelry
ugg boots outlet
polo ralph lauren outlet online
polo ralph lauren
fendi handbags
yeezy boost 350
kate spade outlet online
coach outlet store
coach canada
coach factorty outlet store
kate spade outlet online
coach outlet store online
timberland shoes
indians jerseys
nike shoes
kate spade bags
jimmy choo
uggs outlet
coach outlet online
ecco outlet
jordan shoes
jimmy choo shoes
michael kors outlet store
ugg outlet store
coach outlet
uggs outlet
adidas yeezy shoes
timberland boots outlet
nike sneakers
coach outlet online
coach factorty outlet online
ralph lauren sale
fitflop uk
birkenstock outlet
uggs outlet
dr martens boots
moncler outlet store
braves jerseys
hermes bags
kate spade bags
rolex replica watches
timberland shoes
uggs outlet store
pandora charms outlet
kate spade handbags
ugg boots
ugg outlet
canada goose outlet store
mlb jerseys cheap
philipp plein
uggs outlet online
fitflops sale
timberland outlet
pandora rings
adidas nmd r1
nfl jerseys
adidas ultra boost