April 6, 2016
Page 7
O PINION
Your Carpet
Best Cleaning
Choice
Martin
Cleaning
Service
Carpet & Upholstery
Cleaning
Residential &
Commercial Services
Minimum Service CHG.
$45.00
A small distance/travel
charge may be applied
CARPET CLEANING
2 Cleaning Areas or
more $30.00 Each Area
Pre-Spray Traffic Areas
(Includes: 1 small Hallway)
1 Cleaning Area (only)
$40.00
Includes Pre-Spray Traffic Area
(Hallway Extra)
Inmates on their Deathbeds Should be Freed
Compassionate
is the moral
thing to do
J ohn k iriakou
Over the past
three decades, judg-
es and juries have
filled
America’s
prisons with non-vi-
olent
offenders.
Many are serving
draconian sentences for first-time
offenses. Indeed, while only about
5 percent of the world’s people
live in the United States, our coun-
try is locking up nearly 25 percent
of the world’s prison population.
President Barack Obama has at
least begun to address this issue
by creating the Clemency Proj-
ect, which connects prisoners to
pro-bono lawyers who can argue
for them to have their sentences
reduced. Inmates are eligible if
their sentences would have been
shorter today than when they re-
ceived them — as long as they’ve
already served at least half their
time.
That doesn’t help prisoners
who haven’t yet served half of
their sentences. It’s an especially
glaring gap for prisoners who are
elderly and gravely ill. Where is
their relief?
A handful of prisoners on their
deathbeds might go free under a
by
federal practice called compas-
sionate release. To qualify, an in-
carcerated person must be at least
65 years old and suffering from
a deteriorating medical condi-
tion that diminishes their ability
to function in a correctional
facility.
And they have to have
served 10 years of their sen-
tence.
Last year, the federal gov-
ernment released 110 prison-
ers under the compassionate
release program. While this was a
record high, it was also statistical-
ly insignificant as we’ve got 2.24
million people behind bars.
To make matters worse, al-
though the regulations for eligibil-
ity are clear, the entire program is
“clouded in secrecy and bureau-
cracy,” according to the Clemency
Report.
I watched the failure of this
program unfold in real time when
I was incarcerated for blowing the
whistle on the CIA’s torture pro-
gram. I was friendly with a pris-
oner I’ll call Bill.
Bill was 68 years old and do-
ing 30 years for a non-violent or-
ganized crime conviction. He’d
served more than half his sen-
tence.
I saw him in the hall one day,
doubled over in pain. He told me
that he’d never before experienced
back pain like this. I suggested
that he go to sick call in the morn-
ing and ask for Tylenol, the go-to
painkiller in U.S. prisons.
He did, but he got no relief.
A couple of weeks later, Bill
was walking with a cane and in
obvious distress. He told me again
that his back pain was excruciat-
ing. He’d asked the medical unit
for an X-ray, and he’d been de-
nied. The physician’s assistant had
just given him more Tylenol.
Two weeks later, Bill was in
a wheelchair. I went to the chap-
lain and said that Bill was being
denied medical care. He agreed to
intervene.
Bill was sent to an outside hos-
pital for an MRI, which found
stage 4 cancer of the spine. Bill
applied for compassionate release
so he could die at home, surround-
ed by his family.
The warden went to see him in
his cell. Would Bill agree to sign
a paper agreeing not to hold the
prison responsible for failing to
diagnose and treat his cancer? He
refused.
Two weeks later, Bill died in
his bunk in prison, alone.
This shouldn’t have happened.
Compassionate release was cre-
ated exactly for prisoners like
Bill. Dying prisoners who pose
no threat to society whatsoever
should be sent home to be with
their families.
It’s the only moral thing to do.
OtherWords columnist John
Kiriakou is an associate fellow at
the Institute for Policy Studies and
the winner of the 2015 PEN Cen-
ter USA First Amendment award.
OtherWords.org.
The Law Offices of
Patrick John Sweeney, P.C.
Patrick John Sweeney
Attorney at Law
1549 SE Ladd, Portland, Oregon
Portland:
Hillsoboro:
Facsimile:
Email:
(503) 244-2080
(503) 244-2081
(503) 244-2084
Sweeney@PDXLawyer.com
Stairs (12-16 stairs - With
Other Services) : $25.00
Area/Oriental Rugs:
$25.00 Minimum
Area/Oriental Rugs (Wool) :
$40.00 Minimum
Heavily Soiled Area:
Additional $10.00 each area
(Requiring Extensive Pre-Spraying)
UPHOLSTERY
CLEANING
Sofa: $69.00
Loveseat: $49.00
Sectional: $109 - $139
Chair or Recliner:
$25 - $49
Throw Pillows (With
Other Services) : $5.00
ADDITIONAL
SERVICES
• Area & Oriental Rug
Cleaning
• Auto/Boat/RV Cleaning
• Deodorizing & Pet
Odor Treatment
• Spot & Stain
Removal Service
• Scotchguard Protection
• Minor Water Damage
Services
SEE CURRENT FLYER
FOR ADDITIONAL
PRICES & SERVICES
Call for Appointment
(503) 281-3949