“Counting Pictures” segment

‘Counting Pictures'Segment What follows is a segment from my book ‘Counting Pictures‘. It is currently (4/2017) unpublished. It's about my personal experience being accused, indicted and convicted as a 'sex offender’, a term that is loaded down with negative connotations in our society. In many cases the connotations and inferences have little or nothing to do with the offense itself or with the laws now being employed to prosecute ‘offenders’. There is in the Federal Legal System an atmos- phere of ignorance and hysteria, a disregard for science and statistical record, similar to the approach that fostered the 'War on Drugs', with its impossibly righteous moralism. In my book there is a schism between 'Thoughtman', the fantasizer, and 'Speakman', the social persona and how this schism in my personality plays out in an incarcertaed setting. The segment offered here is about my experience with initial arrest and incarceration as a 59 year old man with no prior criminal record. FRMartinez (4/2017) (‘Counting Pictures’ Segment) THE ‘LOBBY’ Booking at county prison, from the moment I stepped into the barren lobby,. which consisted of multiple rows of wooden benches like those in church facing two heavy—set African—American females in full police uniforms behind a long desk, to the moment I was put into a double-occupancy cell alone, took almost fourteen hours. Before taking a seat at one of the benches in this lobby I had gone through check—in in a room that resembled a bank with uniformed officers in sectioned—off areas behind window—counters where all pockets were emptied, IDs, wallets, personal items (scarves, neckties, belts) and cell phones were confiscated and personal information was logged into police computers. While in the 'lobby' I was called up only to be photographed and fingerprinted. For the rest of the fourteen hours I just sat there. The place was packed with lowlifes, prostitutes, people coming off booze or drug highs. The racial ratio was mixed but not as obviously as one would have thought considering the demographics of my city (50—6OZ black). Every age group was represented, from barely legal to old men with canes and walkers. It seemed my little Southern city was, like Thoughtman, an equal—opportunity predator. The ratio of 'lowlifes' to ‘average looking’ people too was unexpected. Maybe 85% 'regular' types to 15% 'edgy'. I know 'lowlife' is a prejudiced_term but, hey, so is ‘sexually explicit conduct’, and the latter is being used by the Federal legal system to put people away in droves (14,500 currently). So I feel I'm entitled to a little 'prejudiced terminology‘ here. And did I just call my Southern town a 'predator'? We're all petential criminals. Few people realize just how easily any of us