Prisoners are persons whom most of us would rather not think about. Banished from everyday sight, they exist in a shadow world that only dimly enters our awareness. They are members of a "total institution" that controls their daily existence in a way that few of us can imagine. "[P]rison is a complex of physical arrangements and of measures, all wholly governmental, all wholly performed by agents of government, which determine the total existence of certain human beings (except perhaps in the realm of the spirit, and inevitably there as well) from sundown to sundown, sleeping, walking, speaking, silent, working, playing, viewing, eating, voiding, reading, alone, with others. . . ." It is thus easy to think of prisoners as members of a separate netherworld, driven by its own demands, ordered by its own customs, ruled by those whose claim to power rests on raw necessity. -- Justice William Brennan, dissenting in O’Lone v. Estate of Shabazz, 482 U.S. 342, 354-55 (1987).

Sunday, August 5, 2007

Guess Jim Black's Release Date - Win $20

To illustrate how complicated sentence computation can be, I am having a contest to calculate Jim Black's release date.

Winner gets $20.

Once BOP completes the official computation it will be published on their website here. It could take them a few weeks. Contest closes once the date is published.

Jim Black was sentenced to 63 months. He surrendered last Monday, July 30. He should also get one day credit for his arraignment although he entered a guilty plea before being indicted so maybe he was never arraigned. His BOP sentence includes halfway house so you don't have to worry about that.

Using this document or any other you can find, calculate his release date and post it as a comment. Hmmm.... but if everyone posts a comment as "anonymous," how will I know who the winner is?

My guess: March 9, 2012 [I recalculated. Originally, I said April 12, 2012.]

You can use this date calculator to assist you.

PS He could end up knocking another year off his sentence if he gets in the DAP program but that is not a consideration at this point.

[UPDATE: I was minding my own business yesterday (Sat, 8/12), reading the Charlotte Observer at my favorite lunch place (I am allowed out between 10a-2p on Saturdays). Lo and behold I run across a story about my blog... actually, this particular article! If you have never had your name in the paper, it is always a startling experience, especially when you had no idea it was coming.

See http://www.charlotte.com/local/story/232322.html (scroll down)

The background is that I had emailed David Ingram, the reporter who has been covering the Jim Black affair, to see if he had any inside information on how Jim Black was able to get to Lewisburg so quickly (see previous post). In the email, I referred to my blog. Apparently it read part of it and decided to announce my little contest here.

Of course, I could have done without his little comment at the end that he would enter, but he doesn't "gamble." The last thing I need is for my PO to violate me because I broke some gambling law! :) This is not gambling, David, it's just a contest. ]

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

My guess is 10/29/2012.

Richard Worthington said...

April 20, 2012

Life ticks on said...

May 20, 2011

Anonymous said...

I think 15% off his sentence, I know its 12.8% but I have conflicting reports stating 15%, this is too confusing, it's good to know that BOP has a super computer that crunches the numbers...

Angela said...

Hi Bill,
I have a friend in a Federal Prison Camp and find your blog very interesting. I'm sure that it has helped a lot of families who can't visit loved ones in prison.

I am guessing Jim Black's release date as: March 22, 2011

Thanks,
Angela

Anonymous said...

Who's the winner. 2/28/2012 is the official date. I think it might be you Bill! :)

Bill Bailey said...

You're right. I win. I guessed March 9, 2012. The correct answer is Feb 28, 2012 so I missed by 9 days.