Protecting Your Rights Since 1987

The myths and realities of federal courts

On Behalf of | Apr 29, 2015 | Uncategorized

Joe Nacchio was once the head of a major communications company before being convicted on federal charges and sent to prison for six years. Now back on the outside, the man convicted of insider trading (Nacchio insists to this day that he was innocent) writes about some of the myths that surround life in prison.

He also describes life on the inside, where smuggling is common (you can get anything from drugs to Kentucky Fried Chicken, he says) and that the “Club Fed” reputation federal prisons have is an illusion and that it’s really more like “Lord of the Flies” for adults.

 

Nacchio writes for CNBC that the number one myth about prison is that “innocent people don’t go to prison.” He says that a federal district judge estimates that somewhere between 1 and 8 percent of inmates agreed to plea deals even though they were not guilty of charges. They were instead unable to stand up to coercive prosecutor tactics, he says.

Nacchio writes that “liberty and justice for all” is another myth. The different Courts of Appeals (Kentucky is served by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth District) allow federal prosecutors to shop for the best court for the case they are going to bring.

His third myth: prosecutors are after justice. Not the case, he writes. They’re after convictions. He says prosecutors will “flagrantly violate people’s due process rights” because they are after “money and power.”

Nacchio goes over three more myths in his article, which you can find by following the link.

However, you can find experienced legal representation in Don Thomas, Attorney At Law. He has for nearly three decades fought for the rights and freedoms of clients facing federal charges in Marshall County and throughout western Kentucky. Please see our Federal Criminal Law Attorney page for more information.