[Vision2020] Ryan Lee Wright: Review of Retained Jurisdiction

Sun Aug 10 10:29:37 PDT 2014

Note:  while this particular instance of insanely lenient sentencing for a
violent felony (nearly killing a baby) happened in Latah County, it could --
and almost certainly does -- happen all over the state.  According news
reports, Idaho's Department of Corrections started calling for increased use
of alternative sentencing in 2010 because there was no space in the prisons
and to curb a growing prison budget.  (Personally, I cannot help but wonder
how much of that budget growth was a direct cost of Otter's utterly
disastrous "privatization" love affair with the likes of for-profit
Corrections Corporation of America.)

While I'm a huge supporter of alternative sentencing for non-violent crimes,
and while I recognize there are exceptions to every rule, I'm not convinced
short-term Rider programs have any place in the sentencing of violent
felons.

So, for those who think sentences like the below are a travesty of justice,
for those who consider themselves "law and order" types, for those who
believe autonomy requires we appropriately punish criminals, etc., start
asking the right questions when deciding who to vote for at the state level!
Don't vote for "tough on crime types who talk the talk but don't walk the
walk by supporting prison sentences for crimes of violence.

  _____  

Wednesday afternoon, I attended a hearing reviewing the retained
jurisdiction of convicted felon Ryan Lee Wright prior to his release on
probation.

Wright is a man who very nearly killed his infant son by shaking him on
4/3/2013.  According to the mother, the medical records indicate violent
shaking was followed by a violent impact.  The baby will likely have
neurological deficits for the rest of his life.  As I recall, mom was at
work when she got a phone call that her precious baby had stopped breathing.
I cannot imagine the horror of her drive from work to the hospital.

The baby was airlifted to Sacred Heart in critical condition.  Because
Wright was a typical lying criminal who didn't immediately admit what he'd
done, mom's contact with her critically injured baby was understandably
restricted during the early investigation.  Mom spoke from her heart at the
sentencing.   A baby who was born perfect now lives with neurological
deficits as a result of his father's horrendous abuse, and the baby will
likely live with neurological deficits for the rest of his life.  I believe
virtually everyone in the courtroom that day fought back tears hearing from
the mom, some of us more successfully than others.

The eventual sentencing on 4/9/2014 --a year after the baby was nearly
killed -- was what it was:  not what it should have been and not as lenient
as it could have been <shaking my head>.  Much to his credit, Judge Stegner
had earlier rejected an initial plea agreement reached by the State and
Public Defender that called retained jurisdiction with probation only.  Mom
-- and the rest of us present -- took some consolation that the final
retained jurisdiction plea bargain called for six months commitment in a
Rider Program.  Six months confinement isn't even almost  enough for nearly
killing a baby with one's own hands, but as mind-boggling as it was, it
could have been worse.

And I entered on my personal calendar to start checking the court calendar
in early October to make sure there were no changes for the hearing
scheduled for 10/20/2014 to review the retained jurisdiction.

The mother let people know last Monday that everything had been moved
forward to last Wednesday, over two months early.  She felt she and her baby
had been utterly betrayed by the criminal justice system, victimized for a
third time.  Six months wasn't enough in the first place, but it was
something.

She also mentioned that her baby boy has been terminated as a SHMC and their
specialists due to outstanding medical bills.  Huh -- Wright was footloose,
fancy free, and working at least some of the time (not to mention getting
drunk, trading up his rig, etc.) for a year before going to Cottonwood, yet
he apparently couldn't be bothered to start making payments towards the
medical bills incurred as a result of him nearly killing his son.  I guess
that new rig was far more important.  And it's not like he had to worry
about massive attorney fees because we-the-taxpayers are footing that bill.

So on Wednesday, after lots of praise for doing a "very good job" at
Cottonwood and "impressing" everyone in The System, Wright was returned to
the community.  He had "virtually no violations" during his short stay at
Cottonwood, and he managed to get a GED.  Restitution is ordered (I've seen
how that works -- or doesn't work -- here), he'll be on probation for a
decade (perhaps as little as five years if he behaves), and he's supposed to
on-his-honor make a list of bad friends he's to avoid now.  If he doesn't
follow the terms of his probation, he might go to jail for up to 30 days,
although it doesn't seem like that happens very often here.

Those are the positives I can muster right now.

What's the negative, besides the fact that a baby born perfect will now have
neurological challenges for the rest of his life?

When given the opportunity to address the court, Wright gushed by thanking
the judge and shared what he learned during his short stay in Cottonwood,
which according to Wright's comments, apparently focused a lot on financial
management and not spending money on stupid things <shaking my head>.
However, he failed to mention even once his son or what he'd done to his
son's life and future.

Not once.

Nor did any of the court officials call him on that glaring omission.
Rather, there were lots of verbal pats on the back for him.

It was pretty clear to me that Wright learned well the lessons taught at
Cottonwood about how to make a good impression when going to court.  It was
pretty much the same spiel I've heard from convicts before, although Wright
emphasized the personal money management  lessons to attain his personal
goals more than I recall hearing before.

And, in fairness, I don't know what all the Rider Program teaches.  Perhaps
the program just completely ignores the human victims/survivors and their
loved ones of the crimes that land offenders at Cottonwood.  If that's the
case, that needs to be fixed.

Or, maybe that part of the program - if it exists -- simply didn't make an
impression on Wright.

Saundra Lund

Moscow, ID

I hold that, the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to
protection by man from cruelty of man.

~ Mahatma Ghandi

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