The jury ended deliberations this past Friday. The nine week process for county commissioner John Wiley Price is winding down. Price is accused of receiving nearly $1 million in bribes. Proceeds come from a variety of sources: cars, rental income, money and land. Mail fraud and tax evasion are also on the menu. Going to trial in federal court can be one thing if you win, but if you lose, you're looking at doing some time in a facility.
There are a total of 11 counts against Price. If found guilty, will he go to Federal Prison? Will he be in a "Big House" like we see on TV Shows? Will he be able to do his time in the DFW area?
Only time will tell how these questions are answered. If convicted and designated he would not go to a "scary" prison. At worst, if convicted and designated, he will be designated to a Low Security Federal Correction Institution or even a Camp, which is minimum security.
Only 2 of the 3 federal prisons in the DFW metroplex are male facilites. The 2 male facilities have somewhat of a speciality population. If convicted, sentenced and designated, Price may find himself in a state other than Texas or far from the DFW metroplex.
Former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick had Michigan ties and Texas ties, but ended up in Oklahoma. Jesse Jackson Jr. servied his time on the east coast, far from Illinois. These men having some geographic separation from their base, has benefits, other than distance for family visitation. I encountered many celebrities in my career in the Bureau of Prisons. In my expereicne, celebrity inmates that are housed in an institution where they can do their time without the hassles of fame can be an easier journey.
If found guilty, sentencing is only the first step of a long journey of placement and programming questions. If eligible, there are programs and provisions that could lead to a reduced time on the inside. It may be wise to hire a prison consultant.
Don't think it's going to be "Club Fed" either. Doing time on a yard where you are famous is not exactly a good thing. It's not good for the inmate, nor is it good for prison officials who have to maintain the orderly operation of the institution. Conflicts often arise when there are high-profile inmates in the institution.
Will John Wiley Price go on that journey? We will have to wait to see what the jury decides.
Retired Federal Bureau of Prisons staff Bruce Cameron is a Federal Prison Consultant, Mental Health and Addiction expert, who offers insights to media outlets regarding all things criminal, escapes, suicides, sentencing and any aspect regarding federal cases. On the web, Cameron is known as the Federal Prison Authority. He is an Associate Member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and Expert Member for the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. Bruce is a licensed counselor and Executive Coach, providing a counseling and coaching to those in the criminal justice system.