In 2004 I was sentenced to three years of probation relating to an aggravated harassment charge. For part of those three years, when I wasn't lost in the system, I was required every two weeks to visit with a probation officer to affirm my compliance with the conditions. Many of you have never been to probation and maybe interested in what is like. Here is my story.

A Thursday Evening at 60 South Pearl

Typically I would visit with my probation officer on a Thursday evening. This is when they had “late night” session at 5 PM, where usually ten to twenty people would come in and meet with their probation officers after work. Working mostly downtown for a variety of state positions throughout college, this was not too much of an inconvenience for me, yet it always left a few shivers as I would walk into the probation office not knowing what would happen.

I was supposed to be there promptly a 5 PM. This normally was not a problem as I usually worked jobs that got out at either 4:00 or 4:30 PM. Sometimes I would find myself lead-footing it down the Adirondack Northway when I had to come down from Plattsburgh. You couldn't get there before 5 PM though as they would not let you in, as the late night session took place where the youthful offenders would be before 5 PM. That rule would be bent if you had a reasonable excuse, but weren't so late that the probation officer had completed meeting with all other clients and had left to go home.

Right at 5 PM, you would walk up into the office and walk through a metal detector. You always wanted to travel quite light, and they would make you take off your boots, belt, or anything else that contained metal. They also would wand you down if that still did not shut off the metal dectector. You went into the lobby and spoke to the receptionist and gave them your name and that of your probation officer.

Summer, winter, spring, or fall, the probation office was always incredibly hot. They must have heated it to 75 or 80 to put pressure on probationers to tell the truth. Usually being well dressed, and in a suit or dress sweater, it often was quite hot sitting their waiting to be questioned. The chairs where uncomfortable, the lobby was noisy. I always brought something to read to pass the time.

Sometimes I would have to wait five minutes, sometimes 30 to 45 minutes. It always seemed like I was one of the last probationers to be called by my probation officer. In that time I would usually keep my mind off what was coming up next, simply reading a book or trying to learn about something as distant as possible to what I was facing. Reading about agriculture and stories about living out west, usually took my mind far off what was coming up next.

It was always interesting to glance around the room and wonder why people where in probation. I'm sure many of them had drug problems, domestic abuse, a fight, DWI, or suffered from alcholism. The room was almost always entirely white, male, mostly working class folk that worked in construction or mechanical maintenance. Almost all where between age 20 and 30. It was clear that these people all struggled hard to make a living, spending all days outdoors in their Carharts and work boots.

Questioning

Then I would hear “Mr. Arthur, Please” and I would meet with Officer Ms. Rose Thorne. My assigned officer would change overtime, as my rating changed, but Ms. Thorne I had for almost a year. We would walk down to a little room with open sides and a fiber board table. The questions where always almost the same. They usually where given in exactly this order – in a monotone boring voice, with Ms. Rose Thorn (she was probably a year or so younger then me) trying to be as neutral as possible. They where:

“How are things going?”

Good. Been busy at working ____ and involved in ____ organizations.

“Have you had any drug or alcohol use?”

No. (I used to drink beer but it was easier to answer no).

“Do you still live with your parents in Westerlo?”

Yes.

“Your in compliance with your conditions, right?”

Yes. (Not exactly truthful—this question was dropped after a while)

“Thank you. The next time you will meet with me is in two weeks on _______.”

I would always thank Ms. Thorne, be very polite and wish her the appropriate holiday.

This entire session would last less then five minutes and I would quickly be out the door. Sometimes though, I would tell a story or get more involved in some of the great community organizations I was involved in, an award I had received, my good college grades, or other accomplishment. In someways I enjoyed chatting with her, and preferred the discussion focus on what I wanted to rather then just the dry basics. I always tried to put a human face upon myself and interact the most positive way with her.

I realize it was Ms. Thorne's job to stay neutral in this all, simply record my compliance with the probation agreement. Yet, I always tried to engage her and make her understand the great things I was aspiring towards, and how this all was a mistake I would rather put behind me. It always felt so good when I walked out to freedom around 5:45 PM.

Difficulties

Probation sessions were not always quite as easy. Ms. Thorne was sometimes critical of my delay of getting things done or my general confusion of how the process worked. Completing the required psychological evaluation was delayed for months by my difficulties of finding appointments and not knowing where to start or whether my insurance or probation would pay for it. I was lost in the system for months as I moved back and forth from College in Plattsburgh and working in Albany.

All of those things resulted in little more then stern remarks, and once an actual warning that I had to move forward on getting the psychological evaluation completed or risk facing being in violation of my probation terms (whatever that would mean – it sounded scary like jail time – but I doubt it). I still was nervous and bit scared about everything, even if the dog had little bite for me who mostly was in compliance with probation.

Regular Technical Violations

Throughout the time I knew I had dozens of technical probation violations that could have been easily uncovered by the probation officer per deeper probing. This always kept me a little paranoid, afraid, and jumpy, especially on Thursdays. While I had friends in the District Attorney's office and Council 82, I always felt so at risk. My misdeeds included drinking beer and consumed whiskey on camping trips, which was against my probation terms. I often went on camping trips and did not report that I would be out of my normal place of abode.

I was lost in the system a lot of time in probation. Not having any scheduled appointments or any officers actually in possession of my files, there would be months where I would go without any monitoring from the probation office. Indeed, when I went back to school to SUNY Plattsburgh during the fall of 2005, nobody at probation office knew who I was or the fact that I went back to school. When they found me they where just happy that I had returned to school, and that I was willing to comply with my monitoring.

I frequently traveled outside of Albany County without permission which was the first condition of my probation. I lived 6 miles from the Greene County line and frequently traveled across the state to conferences, hiking, and camping opportunities. In the three years, I actually left the state of New York several times without permission to attend conferences in Washington DC, Manchester, NH, and Philadelphia, PA. I tried to get permission but was told no, so I simply never asked again.

There was one other term I frequently violated. I was prohibited from participating in a bulletin board. While this term was ambiguous, different probation officers I might with through described it as participating in Internet Relay Chat (IRC) Blogging, Web Discussions, and so forth. Since this had all blown over I lost my interest in web discussions, but I had restored my blog and sometimes would go on IRC simply to download music.

I continued my blog throughout my term on probation. I didn't hide who wrote it and I'm sure if the probation office searched my name on the internet they would have quickly located it. I always feared that something they would read on it – including references my out of state trips and photographs, might get me in trouble. Yet, I didn't really care as I loved blogging, and if I had to serve time in jail, it would just make probation go by a little faster.

Nothing Happened; Time Expired

Throughout my time on probation, things rarely changed. The interview and process was almost the same, although part of the time I was student up in Plattsburgh, I was require to report in Clinton County to 138 Marget Street Probation Office in Plattsburgh. That was more convenient then driving down to Albany. I basically went on living my life and working towards new things. Probation didn't really change my behavior, but did keep me looking over my shoulder, and gave me an excuse to drive down to Albany to work on political campaigns.

Last September my probation was all but 4 months from being over and I was moved to mail-in reporting, where I filled out an affidavit signifying my compliance with probation terms. I filled the page with good stories on my life, and basically lied about my total compliance. January came, I completed my probation, and the office sent me a memorandum stating as such. And here I stand today.