An interesting thing about jail: When is the last time you went a week without social media?

The news seemed so far away. Strangely, whenever I got a tray of truly horrible food my first instinct was to Instagram it. Otherwise, I never thought about social media.

Yeah. We are so used to tooling around in our 3500lb murder boxes that we've become really desensitized to just how dangerous they are. Driving in a way that makes you much more likely to kill or maim other people is super irresponsible and makes you an *******.

HOWEVER, people seem to have this strange obsession with drunk driving vs other kinds of dangerous distracted driving. People will fall all over themselves to get all sanctimonious about drunk driving, then go out and talk on their cell phone while driving, which research has shown is at least as bad, probably worse (probably depending on HOW drunk we're talking).

Is it strange? There has been a decades-long campaign against drunk driving. The campaign against texting and distracted driving in general has not been around anywhere near as long.

I don't wanna come off as defending drunk driving or minimizing it, or defending my own actions. Like I've said, I screwed up and learned a lesson.
But yeah, drunk drivers are apparently the last group of people it's ok to openly hate.

In discussing all of this, I've had people say things like, "Well, I have no sympathy for you." Which is fine and well, but who the hell says something like that?

Meth Kid railed against drunk driving. "I might be puking out the window driving on meth, but I'll never drink and drive."

The whole thing is screwed up. Yeah, I do think the penalty for a first time offense is too steep. $10k is like a third of the median income in this country, and while driving may be a privilege and not a right we still live in a car-dependent society that encourages drinking.

did you tell the other inmates what you were in for? did you feel like you got judgement from them at all?

Hmm. I dunno. Maybe a little bit of judgement, but it's hard to take seriously when it's coming from another prisoner, so I didn't.

The Meth Kid comment was mostly funny, but I would say yes, the disdain for drunk drivers in general extends to some inmates. There's not a lot of judgement in jail, which is not really a surprise.

EDIT: but yes, I told people what I was in for. most were amused I got jail time for a 1st DWI.

What is the lesson you learned?

Texting and driving causes way more accidents than drunk driving, but way fewer fatalities. (About 25% of all accidents from texting from one source, About a third as many fatalities and it's way way way more common to text and drive. )

Of course it depends on how drunk and maybe 0.08% or w/e is lower than "drunk", but drunk driving is way more dangerous than being on your phone.

Don't forget smokers!

More than one, for sure.

I don't like law enforcement, in general. I'm distrustful of authority. But I think this experience actually gave me more respect for cops and what they do. Like I said, I don't like police--but oddly, after being arrested and all this, I feel LESS like they're actually out to get me. I had to be the dumbest ******* ever, to get arrested.

It made me think a lot about community--the resources that were used to arrest and prosecute and incarcerate me. And meeting people in jail made me think more broadly about who is in the community, and what communities I am a part of.

I learned you never want to be in the system. That's its own hell. The endless forms and fines and fees and hearings and motions and pre-ordained outcomes and boxes to check ... It's awful.

I learned to remember that you can let emotions pass. There were certainly times I was emotional about the prospects of jail, or when I was in there, wondering if I'd made a mistake, or what it all meant, maybe I really was a huge ****up and terrible citizen. At home, in real life, when I feel ****ty I typically do something to feel better. But in jail, there was nothing I could do besides sit there and deal with it and wait for the moment to pass. And it did.

Oh, and never drink and drive.

I, for one, appreciate your perspective.

Thanks for sharing

Hmm, including the week? Started last week.

Sometimes I think I would like jail, especially if in solitary. All the assrape tho.

No place is perfect.

I'd already grunched this response but got caught up before hitting Submit.

About 5 years ago I was supposed to spend 1 day in tent city(10 day sentence, 8 days continued, 1 day credit given for the night I got arrested). I was looking forward to the experience. Had watched some youtube videos, did some reading, etc, just trying to figure out what to expect. I had my watch without a metal band(per the rules I had read), some books to read, a sweatshirt, change for the vending machines, etc. I was prepared!

Self surrendered about 10:00 on a Friday night. When they checked me in they said "if it's ok with you, we're just going to keep you here in the holding cells instead of sending you to the tents, unless you really want to go to the tents". I wasn't sure what was going on so just said sure. They did my process in and process out fingerprints at the same time, and had me in my car heading home by 1:00 Saturday morning. While happy to be going home already, there was a bit of disappointment in not making it to the tents. Apparently if you're in there as one day changes to the next, it counts as a day served.

I like that. Have a nice dinner, couple of drinks, go to jail, and get out in time for last call.

Nice! ... Yeah, I get being a little disappointed.

I got loaded before reporting to jail. Went to dinner with my brother and got drunk. He dropped me off and I slept blissfully under 4 a.m. when the guy in the next cell wouldn't stop screaming "Medical! I need medical!"

They told him to shut up it was too early, and eventually he was quiet.

Did you tell your coworkers or customers what you did over the holidays?

The local folks, yes. Remote, no.

I have absolutely 0 remorse or sympathy for anyone that gets caught drinking and driving.

People that do it are selfish pieces of **** that don't care 1 bit about anyone else. **** them.

Why would you feel remorse? Or do you have a problem understanding the meanings of simple words?

No remorse for the idiots that drink and drive and then die from causing a car crash.

Do you have a problem using your brain and using common sense or do you need people to explain everything to you?

lapka,

That's silly. It would encourage me, and I imagine most people, to not drive drunk again.

This isn't really true in most jurisdictions. My wife's clients usually did their time at Habitat for Humanity or the SPCA.

I've slept in my car a bunch, questioned by police repeatedly, never been breathalyzed.

Now I wonder if my local police force are slacking on dwi enforcement or if I just present as exhausted rather than intoxicated (true.)