The Long Ago Gone
I’d like to say the case of Susan LeFevre is an isolated incident, but most people who have been watching have read about Rebecca Hatcher, Barbara Glenn, Tamiko Smith and Roger Crona, all who escaped Michigan prisons sometime in the early to mid 1970s, only to be brought back in the last few months to continue their sentences. Some have adamantly claimed that all were turned in by “tipsters”.
Rise of LexusNexus
I have my own theory on this. My understanding of this that the “tips” came from a private company called LexusNexus (see http://www.lexisnexis.com/government/agencies/law.aspx). It’s a data mining organization that creates databases listing connections between people. In other words, a car someone owned five years ago, is sold to someone and a link is established between the selling party and the buyer. There may be no other connection, but this organization keeps track. One arm of the company is used by businesses for marketing and consumer trend analysis. Another arm sells information that are sold to law enforcement agencies. The connections here may be what relatives a fugitive may have, even distant ones and what movements have they made? What phone calls are made by those relatives? Who may come into contact with someone wanted by the law? It could be completely inadvertent, but it is increasingly leading to people wanted by different states.
I have been told that this is one of the major reasons so many long missing fugitives are now being picked up. It is a convergence of the advance of technology and the need to justify the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
How many domestic terrorists have been apprehended since 2002? Unless you seriously consider José Padilla a real threat, instead of a misguided nut job and a couple of other wannabes, the answer is none. Most of the “domestic terrorists” have been losers with an axe to grind, but no true connection to al Qaeda. Not to say they might not be dangerous, but it’s more from being demented than having a real connection to international terrorism. There just aren’t that many real terrorists roaming the streets of this county.
But what it leaves us with is a tremendous amount of money and law enforcement capacity. The DHS is thus using their considerable resources to round up past fugitives. States like Michigan and Florida seem only too happy to have these people. Even with their damaged economies, it is providing the already budging prisons with the fodder needed to justify their expanding budgets. Why expand unemployment benefits or continue with after school programs, when so many otherwise forgotten prisoners from decades past need to be brought to justice at long, long last? Susan LeFevre is far and away the most well know of these people. I don’t know if all of the recently found ancient fugitives are a direct result of LexusNexus, but I have been told that it was not a coincidence that so many have been returned to Michigan as of late. I have no solid proof, just rumor, innuendo and guess work, but it makes the most sense.
The Unknown
I recently came across the case of a man named Jack Duffy from Dublin, CA. Like the others, he was apprehended after leading a law abiding life for twenty five years. He had been a “walk away” from a minimum security Michigan prison on a small time burglary charge. I gather he was looking at about a half decade for that. He fled and started a new life in California. Raised a family and stayed out of trouble.
I’d like to say the case of Susan LeFevre is an isolated incident, but most people who have been watching have read about Rebecca Hatcher, Barbara Glenn, Tamiko Smith and Roger Crona, all who escaped Michigan prisons sometime in the early to mid 1970s, only to be brought back in the last few months to continue their sentences. Some have adamantly claimed that all were turned in by “tipsters”.
Rise of LexusNexus
I have my own theory on this. My understanding of this that the “tips” came from a private company called LexusNexus (see http://www.lexisnexis.com/government/agencies/law.aspx). It’s a data mining organization that creates databases listing connections between people. In other words, a car someone owned five years ago, is sold to someone and a link is established between the selling party and the buyer. There may be no other connection, but this organization keeps track. One arm of the company is used by businesses for marketing and consumer trend analysis. Another arm sells information that are sold to law enforcement agencies. The connections here may be what relatives a fugitive may have, even distant ones and what movements have they made? What phone calls are made by those relatives? Who may come into contact with someone wanted by the law? It could be completely inadvertent, but it is increasingly leading to people wanted by different states.
I have been told that this is one of the major reasons so many long missing fugitives are now being picked up. It is a convergence of the advance of technology and the need to justify the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
How many domestic terrorists have been apprehended since 2002? Unless you seriously consider José Padilla a real threat, instead of a misguided nut job and a couple of other wannabes, the answer is none. Most of the “domestic terrorists” have been losers with an axe to grind, but no true connection to al Qaeda. Not to say they might not be dangerous, but it’s more from being demented than having a real connection to international terrorism. There just aren’t that many real terrorists roaming the streets of this county.
But what it leaves us with is a tremendous amount of money and law enforcement capacity. The DHS is thus using their considerable resources to round up past fugitives. States like Michigan and Florida seem only too happy to have these people. Even with their damaged economies, it is providing the already budging prisons with the fodder needed to justify their expanding budgets. Why expand unemployment benefits or continue with after school programs, when so many otherwise forgotten prisoners from decades past need to be brought to justice at long, long last? Susan LeFevre is far and away the most well know of these people. I don’t know if all of the recently found ancient fugitives are a direct result of LexusNexus, but I have been told that it was not a coincidence that so many have been returned to Michigan as of late. I have no solid proof, just rumor, innuendo and guess work, but it makes the most sense.
The Unknown
I recently came across the case of a man named Jack Duffy from Dublin, CA. Like the others, he was apprehended after leading a law abiding life for twenty five years. He had been a “walk away” from a minimum security Michigan prison on a small time burglary charge. I gather he was looking at about a half decade for that. He fled and started a new life in California. Raised a family and stayed out of trouble.
Unlike what people think, when most inmates escape prison there isn’t a Deputy Marshal Sam Gerard saying “What I want from each and every one of you is a hard-target search of every gas station, residence, warehouse, farmhouse, henhouse, outhouse and doghouse in that area. Checkpoints go up at fifteen miles. Your fugitive's name is Dr. Richard Kimble. Go get him.”There is generally a quick search of the immediate area, but most quickly turn up. It is very hard to be on the run. Those that don’t get caught immediately, are generally brought in because they commit more crimes, just to get by or they wind up being stopped for a ticket and a check reveals they are wanted.
It may surprise most to know there are thousands (on average) of active fugitives in every state. Most are parole violators or have a Capias (bench warrant) issued due to Failure to Appear (FTAs) in court and the like. Most are not actively sought. The sheer volume would be too overwhelming for the system to handle. They are assumed to turn up eventually and most tha do are quickly released and the process starts all over again.
Jack Duffy was not in that category. He was a nonviolent offender that the Sate of Michigan didn’t care about for a quarter of a century; that is until two years ago. He was picked up by marshals and taken back to Michigan to resume his sentence as if nothing had ever changed. Never mind that the sentence was over by 5 times the period. Michigan still needed their payment in full. It made no difference that the man had turned over a new life and was determine to stay within the bounds of the law this time out. Jack Duffy, had once been convicted and the clock never stops once that happens. No second thoughts or reconsideration for Mr. Duffy.
Now the major difference between Jack Duffy from Susan LeFevre was that Duffy was never mentioned in the news. Maybe it was because he was a man. Perhaps he didn’t present a sympathetic enough figure. No one outside his own family and friends knew. I doubt very many of those in prison, to whom all of this is meant to be a valuable lesson, would know.
Since nobody raised a fuss, he was given another year for the escape and may be there until 2011 or later. What deep moral object can be drawn from this, I can’t begin to say.
So What Do I Think?
My own suggestion, is that if someone escapes and is gone long past the length of their sentence and nobody cared enough about it to even look for them and they didn’t get into trouble in the meantime, maybe society should just forget about it. There are more pressing problems to deal with. I can think of some bankers, investment moguls, government officials and assorted swindlers that have done far greater damage very recently to this county that should be filling up our prisons.
Go Vote
Last but most significant, a lot of men and women have sacrificed a great deal for our right to vote on how we want our government to behave. Honor them by exercising your right and responsibility to vote on Tuesday November 4, 2008.
