Frequently Asked Questions
about C.A.S. programs

This is a newly added page.It is still very much "under construction"Please revisit this page from time to time,new material will be added as time allows.


What is a C.A.S. program?
          C.A.S stands for corporal alternative sentencing.  These proposed 
     programs would offer both the defendant and the courts an intermidiary 
     sanction.  Although we sometimes use the term loosely to refer to 
     "waiver cases," C.A.S techinally refers to the more formal, post-
     legislative programs which are our vision for the future.



How would they work?
          The defendant, through his or her attorney, would offer to 
     sign affidavits waiving their rights against corporal sentencing 
     under all current interpretations of the Eighth Amendment.  The 
     court would then have the option of either rejecting this option; 
     or, accepting it and sentencing the defendant to a C.A.S. program, 
     in lieu of prison.



Is this legal???
          Yes, it is, even without the proposed legislation ever being 
     passed, any defendant currently has the well established right 
     to waive any right; or, protection under law, other than a single 
     appeal of a sentence of death.  As long as the defendant offers 
     them of their own free will and with no duress or coercion (aside 
     from the otherwise appropriate prison sentence), the court is free 
     to accept this sentencing option.


Have any of these sentences been carried out?
          Yes.  We are occassionally able to arrange for corporal 
     sentencing to substitute for prison, as an informal part of 
     the plea bargain negotiation process.  These numbers are limited; 
     but, growing.  We currently consider only people who are charged 
     with non-violent crimes and who have no violent history.  If we 
     agree to try to assist them, they must talk their attorney into 
     helping them pursue this alternative and the attorney must then 
     persuade either the judge or prosecutor assigned to the case to 
     agree to a deferred adjudication of the charge; or to a formal 
     sentence of probation and/or a suspended sentence. If there are 
     grounds for substance abuse treatment, restitution, community 
     service, etc. these elements are ordered as elements of that 
     formal order.
          We refer to these as "waiver cases," instead of C.A.S.



Why bother with the legislation, then?
           Many judges and prosecutors have rather strong resevations 
     against accepting these waivers without this legislation first 
     being passed.  It is currently very difficult to even obtain the 
     assistance of defense attorneys, since this is currently such an 
     "outside of the box" solution; and, since there are no guarantees 
     that the state will abide by the agreement.  Additionally, the 
     proposed legislation would make it possible for inmates who are 
     currntly in prison to volunteer for resentencing under these programs 
     guidelines.  This would free up that bed space for housing the more 
     violent criminals (who would not qualify for these programs) and for 
     those people who were not serious enough about changing their lives
     to be accepted into this program...



Women too; or, just men men?
          Women too...  Any sentencing which is predicated upon gender is 
     not only wrong; but, could result in constitutional arguementss, as 
     well.  The only differences between the way men and women would be 
     handled in these programs are relatively minor ones.  Whenever 
     possible, female staff will be used and, when this is not possible, 
     at least one female staff member will be in very close proximity 
     whenever a male staff member is working with the inmate.  Also, a 
     female inmate would be given a garment closely resembling a one-piece 
     swimsuit (fastening across the back of her neck) to wear.  This garment 
     has "pockets" in the area of the outer breast, in which she 
     is allowed to insert rather thick protective pads, prior to the sentence 
     being carried out.  Otherwise, no distinction is made based upon gender.



What do you mean by "working with" an inmate?
          These programs involve FAR more than JUST corporal punishment....  
     During the (approx.) 24 to 72 hours before and (approx.) 24 hours 
     after the sentence being carried out, a specially trained staff 
     member would be giving the inmate written assignments, related to 
     their crime, to complete and spending a considerable number of hours 
     talking with them.  The goal of this, combined with the punishment 
     and any appropriate, court mandated, follow-up rehabilitaion programs, 
     is to effect a change in inmate's attitudes and views regarding their 
     crime / criminal lifestyle.



Why the strong emphasis on rehabilitation programs?
          Because, when the inmate is sufficiently motivated (which these folks 
     WOULD be) rehabilitation programs really DO work!   Punishment 
     alone, for many of these people, would not be sufficient.  Many 
     of them have tried desparately, sometimes for years, to escape 
     things such as substance abuse problems.  Once they are willing 
     to really apply themselves to rehabilitative programs, they should 
     have access to them.  The goal is to effectively assist them in 
     becoming productive members of our society -- a goal which would 
     more than pay for itself in the long run...



Why the back, instead of the buttocks?
          Aside from the fact that this could make staff screening an 
     absolute nightmare (because it would be more likely to attract 
     people with very questionable motives), there are numerous other 
     problems involved.  Other than caning, most methods of inflicting 
     corporal punishments upon the buttocks simply would not be painful 
     enough to be all that effective on an adult.  Caning is FAR more 
     damaging than the methods which I advocate and could pose a signif-
     icant risk of internal injury to females (especially if they were 
     pregnant.)  Also, being forced to bare ones buttocks in the presence 
     of strangers is inherently humiliating and humiliation tends to be 
     extremely counter-productive when dealing with people who already 
     have very low self-images.  On a less significant note,  using the 
     methods which I do greatly reduces problems relating to witnesses 
     and simplifies staffing (since gender becomes less of a factor.)
          As a side note, people who are "kinky" tend to have a definite 
     preference for the buttock area; and, the (very) few who have contacted me 
     regarding a secondary program I run, have all "headed for the hills" 
     when they have found out that this is: 1) VERY REAL and 2) above the 
     waist.  I do not even begin to understand their proclivities; but, 
     the years I have run both of these programs have solidified my 
     certainty that it is critical to keep these punishments above the 
     waist, to avoid them becoming attractive to that segment of society 
     who derives some sense of erotic enjoyment from punishments which 
     are inflicted below the waist.


What is this SPT-3, 14/2 utility cord;and, what does it do to the person?

          SPT-3, 14/2 utility cord is the heavy, well insulated, flat 
     wire which is used to connect landscape lighting.  It resembles 
     flat, household extension cord; but, it's considerably heavier 
     and has a higher rubber insulation to wire ratio than the house-
     hold cord does.  It is also referred to as low-voltage cable.
          If any of you want to see what I'm referring to, stop by your 
     local building supply store and go to the aisle where the landscape 
     lighting materials are sold.  It is usually sold in either 50 or 
     100 foot packages, although some stores sell it off of spools.  In 
     either situation, it will be apparent that this material is highly 
     effective at delivering an unpleasant (but safe) punishment.
          Some people (over)react emotionally when they first realize 
     what it is that I'm talking about using.  They should bear in mind 
     that this reaction is something which will be shared by the criminal 
     who is facing being the prospect of being whipped with this material.  
     Part of "the idea" behind the use of corporal sentencing is the fact 
     that it's INTENDED TO scare the daylights out of the person who is 
     contemplating committing a crime...  Just how much deterrent effect 
     would something have if, when this person contemplated its effects, 
     they came to the conclusion of, "It won't be all that bad..."  It's 
     far better to have them think, "THAT, across my back?!?!? YIKES!!!  
     Maybe I want to reconsider doing what I was thinking about doing..."
          When this choice is looked at with the emotional factors removed, 
     it really is the logical choice...  Anything porous not only has a 
     tendency to "grab and rip;" but, also, would be virtually impossible 
     to sterilize.  These problems eliminate a lot of the other choices.  
     More standard "light cord," isn't as heavy; but, has a lot more of a 
     tendency to cut the person's skin.  It would also be harder for the 
     person applying the punishment to adequately control. Anything heavier 
     and / or wider (such as the 12 gauge) would be too heavy and could 
     cause injury. 
          From the perspective of "effectiveness," this material causes 
     an extremely painful, "burning type" of stinging, as it welts the 
     person from the beginning.  From there, it "gets worse," as the 
     earlier, very tender, welts are crossed back over.  Even though the 
     "damage" is superficial, this experience is painful enough to cause 
     even the "toughest" person to have a real aversion to having to go 
     through such an ordeal again...
          The "bottom line" for my advocating this material is that it 
     produces a lot of (temporary) pain for the lowest possible "cost" in 
     terms of longer-term damage.



Are you accepting waiver cases at this time?
          Whether we agree to accept a case depends on a number of 
     variables, including just how good a "test case" it would make, the 
     sincerity of the candidate, the circumstances of the case, locale, 
     availability of staff and facilities, and other such variables. 
     There is more information posted on the  "Charged with a crime?" page.



You're hiring right now?
           Not "hiring", per se; but, I am in the process of screening and training 
     people to work the occassional waiver cases we take, in the meantime.  
     There is more information posted on the TRAINING APPLICATION page.
           I get quite a few inquiries about the possibility of using 
     waivers; but, a shortage of staff has caused me to turn down some 
     of the cases which I might, otherwise, have accepted.  Also, we 
     are pretty well limited to very "low profile" cases until I have 
     enough people trained to handle the additional cases which accepting 
     a high-profile case would bring.



Do I have to have a college degree to train?
           No, you do not; although I do require at least a high school 
     diploma or a G.E.D. and I do prefer some college.  I'd rather take 
     a person with a lot of life experience and no college over a person 
     who has all sorts of degrees and very little time spent out in the 
     real world, any day of the week!  The primary requirements are that 
     you have good people skills, can work with all sorts of people in 
     stressful situations, and are motivated by a desire to help, rather 
     than to hurt.  A strong pragmatic attitude and an ability to see 
     beyond the short-term / to see the larger picture is required.



How much does this training cost?
           I don't charge anything for my part of it; however, if you 
     have not already completed a Red Cross approved "Community First 
     Aid and Safety" (formerly called "First Responder") course and a 
     self-defense class, you will need to arrange to take these in your 
     own community, at your own expense.  Both of these are very useful 
     to have, anyway; so, I don't feel as though it's an imposition to 
     require them...  If you have already completed either of these, 
     let me know.  If they are reasonablly current, that requirement 
     will be waived.



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