Got to spend time with my best girlfriend
By dorannmwin
@dorannmwin (36392)
United States
September 18, 2012 10:09pm CST
I've shared with many of you that my best girlfriend has been going through a court battle concerning a probation violation. Well, last week she went to court and decided at that point that she would just tell the judge that she wanted to serve out. The reason being, by now she only had 48 more days left in her original sentence and if they would have reprobated her, she would have had two more years of probation.
However, the judge also suggested that she ask for work release. Now before she was arrested, she was living with us and helping me take care of the kids and the housekeeping, so I am her employer. I turned in the papers on Friday and late last night she called me and let me know that she was approved that I could pick her up at 9:30 this morning.
So, I picked her up at the jail at about 9:30 and we drove up here. She really didn't get to do any cleaning or tidying up for me today because she was really just enjoying the fact that she got to be in the sun (rain) and not be locked behind those four walls for a few hours. However, I did get her to watch Paul for me for a few hours so that I could go to therapy as he was home sick from school today.
It was so nice to actually get to see her not behind glass and not in handcuffs and shackles. She really is a good person and just made a stupid mistake. She has sworn to me and my mother that after this is over, she will never make another mistake in her life.
2 people like this
11 responses
@HomeBase (1153)
• United States
19 Sep 12
Never make another mistake in her LIFE!? Whew! that is a bit much, but I'm sure she means that she is not going to make any of the big mistakes that can get her jail time.
It is good that you can help her, and that she can help you too, that is what real friends do for each other.
1 person likes this
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
20 Sep 12
Either not going to make a mistake that can land a person in jail or not get caught doing it LOL. This has been so very hard on her because she does have three children that are under nine years old and this has caused her to be separated from them for a total of five months once she has her time served out.
@Thoroughrob (11742)
• United States
19 Sep 12
I know it takes forever to get out of the system once your in. My daughter got in some trouble and it took years before she finally told them to just put her in jail to finish out her term so that she could be left alone. Doesn't she have to turn in part of her earnings that she makes at work to the jail? I know here they do. I am glad you got to enjoy her for a while.
1 person likes this
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
20 Sep 12
It is twelve dollars a day here, but that is actually not too bad considering instead of charging the inmates on a weekly basis, they add it to the housing bill that people who have been in jail have to pay at the end of their incarceration. Actually, it ends up being cheaper than staying in full time because our state charges $34 a day for inmates, but if you are work released it is $12 instead.
@bunnybon7 (50973)
• Holiday, Florida
20 Sep 12
I imagine she will not be making any more to put her behind bars. hopefully she will not associate with others that practice such things as will get her there.
sometimes its the people we hang out with or live with. like i was arrested once for something my ex said was ok. it was fraud and they soon found out i didnt do it. 
back in my 20's . so yes, you can get in a lot of trouble foor nothing except who you are around. 
sometimes its the people we hang out with or live with. like i was arrested once for something my ex said was ok. it was fraud and they soon found out i didnt do it. back in my 20's . so yes, you can get in a lot of trouble foor nothing except who you are around. @dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
21 Sep 12
Her original charge was a fraud related charge as well and the only reason that she made the mistake that she made was because she honestly didn't know any better.
Ever heard of the Western Union scam? That is what she was a victim of. She cashed the check at a check cashing gas station and thus was charged with passing a forged instrument.
@Professor2010 (20162)
• India
20 Sep 12
Thanks for sharing in details, since you are her best friend and employer it is your duty to help her in all possible ways..
Glad to know that, 'she has sworn to you and your mother that after this is over, she will never make another mistake in her life.'
This means she is repenting for what she did
Glad to know that, 'she has sworn to you and your mother that after this is over, she will never make another mistake in her life.'
This means she is repenting for what she did@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
21 Sep 12
She has been repenting for it since the day that she went to jail. That was all the way back in June. When I picked her up on Tuesday it was the first time that she had seen the sun without handcuffs and shackles on in over 100 days.
@ravisivan (14079)
• India
19 Sep 12
dorannmwin
I remember your telling about this person in another discussion. What was the crime/mistake committed by her "concerning a probation violation". What is work release?
happy you find her company nice. May good things happen to her and all of you.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
21 Sep 12
All that I can say is that I try.
Unfortunately, I am one of those people that has experiences in those things in life that are not really fun things to be a part of. Such as incarceration (not me but people close to me) and serious medical conditions.
@ravisivan (14079)
• India
20 Sep 12
thanks for explaining about work release and also probation violation. yes. you are good in writing--explaining situation/things properly.
@RitterSport (2451)
• Lippstadt, Germany
4 Oct 12
hi dear dorannmwin I am still playing catch up with the notifications.
I am glad that you could do this for your best friend getting her out of jail for a few hours. Maybe you have posted mofe about that situation later in these three weeks past but could she get out more regular and did it help you in your day to day plans when she watches Paul or helps in other areas of your household?
Hope so for you and also hope she never gets into trouble with the law again.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
5 Oct 12
It is a work release so I pick her up every day Monday through Friday and she has been a huge help to me with getting the house straightened up, watching the kids for my doctors visits and driving me after my injections (this means that my husband does not have to miss work). Of course at this point in time, we are counting down to her out date on the 30th of this month.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
9 Oct 12
I honestly don't believe that she will ever get into trouble again. It has been so hard on her to be separated from her children for such a long time. In the almost five months that she has been there, their father has only brought them to visit a handful of times.
@RitterSport (2451)
• Lippstadt, Germany
5 Oct 12
wonderful that she will be released that soon. Thats a gift for both of you I bet. God Bless and Keep the both of you and I hope she will not get into trouble again.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
20 Sep 12
In her case, what her original crime that she was convicted of was being a victimized victim. She was a victim in one of those check scams and made the mistake of cashing the check at a gas station instead of depositing it into the bank. Had she deposited it into the bank, she would have simply been liable for that money. However, cashing it at a gas station, they accused her of possession of a forged instrument over $1000.
@shaggin (72131)
• United States
19 Sep 12
I think its wonderful that you have stayed so close with her and are letting her come to your home to do some work to get her out of prison for her work days. Its got to be so nice for her as well as for you to get to spend more time with her. Its great you had a helper for your son as well :)
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
20 Sep 12
It is wonderful that she has been there to keep an eye on Paul when Kathryn and I have had to go to therapy. We are also going to start working together to get the house back in good shape because my housekeeping has not been very good at all since I was in that car accident.
@anex08 (868)
• Philippines
19 Sep 12
Your friend is really lucky to have you, you were a nice person too because you were willing to help her in tough times. friendship can be tested in anyway but yours are a solid one. I wish I have a friend like you too...
Have a nice day!!!
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
20 Sep 12
It was actually kind of funny to me yesterday when she was telling me about the high praise that I get from the girls that are in her cell with her. The reason, they all wish that they had a friend (or even a family member) that was willing to do for them the way that I do for her. The reason that I do this is because of the fact that I love her like a sister and she was also there for us last year while my husband was going through his cancer treatments.
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
19 Sep 12
You are a wonderful lady to do this for your friend. I do hope that she does n ot let you down. It is good for you too to have someone to look after your son whilst you are having therapy. I hope that ir is helping and that you are not in too much pain.
My opinion is that everyone deserves a second chance and sometimes a third chance too. My advice wouod be to get her into a routine for housework etc so that she knwos that it really is a job she is doing and not spending time hanging out with a friend. Best of luck
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
20 Sep 12
Oh, the hanging out and gossip time is during the drive from the jail to the house and then while we are eating lunch. We've been working on getting the yard cleaned up and trying to find a way to get this old van in front of our house hauled off to the scrap yard since it doesn't run anymore and is basically just an eyesore.
@marguicha (222997)
• Chile
19 Sep 12
You have not told us what is the problem your friend had. Is she going to stay with you as a community work or will you have to pay her, besides giving her house and board? What will be her duties, besides helping you some? A work is more than "just helping". Tell us about it.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
20 Sep 12
She's been watching Paul for me while Kathryn and I have had to go to physical therapy. Also, we are working on cleaning up the yard right now (that was the big project that we had been working on when she got arrested), our lot is like a jungle and there is a lot of trimming that has to be done before it starts to get cold outside. Also, housekeeping duties, just making sure that everything is cleaned up.
On paper I am paying her $8.00 an hour, but in reality the work that she is doing for me is actually working off some of the debt that she swears that she owes to me for giving her a place to live and also making sure that she had money on the phone so she could call her kids, and commisary to make sure that she had extra food to eat in between meals and stuff through the first three and a half months of her incarceration. I will give her enough for the work to make sure there are minutes on her phone (we sometimes separate and she does some cleaning at my mother's house as well) and to pay the daily fee.
We have been actually working on getting a housekeeping service started, but starting a business in this economy is slow going. When the money starts coming in, everything will be split in halves.
