Menu

Proyecto Visión 21

A sad story with no happy ending and few lessons

Francisco Miraval

As a reporter, from time to time I come across bizarre stories with moving, sad, and even depressing elements. Last week, I came across one of those stories, the case of Juan Ramirez, now 33 and living in Nebraska.

In his late teens, Ramirez found himself on the wrong side of the law. He was found guilty of possession of stolen firearms and of robbery. For his crimes, he was sentenced to 15 years in jail. Ramirez’ sentence ends in April 2015, when he will be finally free.

However, Ramirez was a model inmate. According to a report by the Nebraska Department of Corrections, Ramirez had a good behavior and he does not represent a security risk. In addition, he is part of a local rehabilitation program to prepare inmates for their return to their communities.

For those reasons, Ramirez could leave the jail next month, August 2013, more than 18 months before the end of his sentence. At least that was the original plan until last week.

On Wednesday, July 10, 2013, Ramirez and other inmates were working outside as part of their training program near Lincoln, Nebraska. According to local authorities, Ramirez went inside a house without authorization and allegedly to steal things. The next day, Thursday, July 11, 2013, Ramirez was transported to back to Lincoln to be interrogated about the incident.

The interrogatory lasted most of the morning. Afterwards, it was decided that Ramirez should be sent back to jail. In the early afternoon, he was put inside a correctional services van to be transported to the jail in Lincoln.

During that trip, when the vehicle was near 27 Street and Nebraska Highway 2 (in the southeast area of Lincoln), Ramirez opened the door of the van, jumped out of the vehicle, and ran away. (The exact details explaining how that was possible have not been provided.)

Correctional officers reported the escape to local police and, with the additional help of State Patrol officers, the search for Ramirez began.

The search ended soon after 3:30 pm, local time, on Thursday, July 11, 2013, when Ramirez was found hiding under a tree at a park a mile away from where he jumped out of the van. He was arrested without incident.

Talking with local reporters, Larry Wayne, deputy director of the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services, said that no charges have been presented against Ramirez connected with the alleged robbery on July 10, 2013. Wayne also said, after the escape attempt, it is unlikely Ramirez will receive parole in a month. In fact, it is possible Ramirez will now have to serve a longer sentence.

What lessons, if any, can we learn from this story? I do not know. It is sad to see that somebody who was about to complete his sentence and to pay his debt with society now faces more chargers and more time in jail. In a sense, perhaps we are all trapped inside our own personal jails, unable to recover our freedom.

Go Back

Comment

Blog Search

Blog Archive

Comments

There are currently no blog comments.