Did you hear the one about the guy who was banished from every county in the State of Georgia, except Toombs County? Toombs County! THAT’S WHERE I LIVE! When I read about this in the AJC, I wondered how in the world someone in the 21st century got banished from every county in the state, but one. That just sounds so 17th century, don’t you think?
The guy, Gregory McTerry was convicted of aggravated assault and aggravated stalking (No doubt he is not a nice guy!) and when he was sentenced for his crimes he was forbidden, upon his release, from living in every county in the state other than Toombs. I can’t decide whether to be insulted by the implication that living in Toombs is punishment or to be complimented by an acknowledgment that Toombs County is the only county in the state worth living in.
McTerry’s attorney, McNeill Stokes, an Atlanta attorney, recently argued his case before the Supreme Court of Georgia asking the Court to declare this practice of banishment unconstitutional. It sure sounds to me that it is. You can read his supplemental brief, here. According to McNeill the Georgia constitution forbids banishment from the state as a form of punishment, which is why the judges or district attorneys or whoever, came up with this idea of banishment from all but one county. According to McNeill, judges and district attorneys use this concept of banishment to get rid or people they don’t want to have to fool with again. The problem is that I don’t want these guys sending their problems to where I live.
In McTerry’s case, he qualified for a work release program but couldn’t participate in it because the program was in a county from which he was banished. Thus, the banishment provision of his probation requires that he be treated differently than other prisioners, which Stokes argues is unconstitutional. The Supreme Court will probably render a decision by the end of the year. It should be interesting.
But the most surprising thing McNeill talks about are the beatings administered to prison inmates in certain Georgia prisons. And he is talking about beatings. Intentional beatings. Beatings with your hands tied behind the back. Beatings for no reason other than enjoyment. Beatings that are carried out by the correctional officers, sanctioned by the warden and covered up by the investigators.
McNeill has successfully sued Rogers Correctional Institute located in Tattnall County, just down the road from Georgia State Prison. He is now trying to clean up Valdosta State Prison. Go get ‘em! This is ridiculous, a total failure of leadership at every level of administration in the Department of Corrections.
Do you have any idea how hard it is to prove that an inmate in a state prison has been beaten unnecessarily? How hard is it to prove that guards and their superiors cover up such things? Very hard, and McNeill could not have done it had it not been for the conscience for one guard who spilled the beans. The guy should be given an award.
When law enforcement exhibits contempt for the law, we and our system of government are diminished. Thank goodness, there are lawyers out there keeping a watch out for all of us!
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