for newcomers, tessmer is a former barnesville police captain in prison for the shooting death of her husband...
Two-strikes law not cause for overcrowding
I'm trying to be fair, but I believe your opinion pieces concerning the reasons for an aging and overcrowded prison population are misleading. To help prove my point that the majority of the blame lies squarely on the shoulders of the state Board of Pardons and Paroles, I did a random, mini-survey of 19 incarcerated women.
Ten are white and nine are black. Three are serving time for drug possession, three for forgery, three for robbery, two for felony shoplifting, two for theft, one for identity fraud, one for burglary, one for armed robbery, one for sexual assault, one for aggravated assault, and one for murder.
Of those, none are under the "two strikes" law, two have mandatory minimum sentences of 10 years, and three are under a judges order to serve their entire sentence. The older inmate convicted of murder has already served six years beyond the time her seven- year sentence called for because life sentences are being ever extended.
The Parole Decision Guidelines System was enacted and intended to help the board make a more consistent, soundly based, prompt and explainable parole decisions. The guidelines consider age, education, employment, convictions, incarcerations, parole and probation failures, drug involvement and forgery or burglary involvement to calculate a parole success score. This score and the crime severity level determines an inmates recommended months to serve. The Board may depart from the Guidelines and make an independent decision using the full discretion given to it by Georgia law.
The survey revealed that for the 14 inmates who fall under their control, the board departed from the guidelines 100 percent of the time. All fourteen are serving between four and 74 months more than the guidelines call for. If the board does not trust their own system, change it or abolish it, but judges, district attorneys and defense lawyers use it to negotiate plea agreements and decide sentences. That's unfair.
I did not include myself in the survey because I am not eligible to be considered for parole until January 2012. Those who care about me think I'm crazy to dare to write anything negative about the folks who will eventually consider my freedom, but I feel compelled to speak out anyway.
Beth Tessmer is a prison inmate in Hawkinsville.
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18 comments:
Read the letter this AM. Was wonering what happened to her. Guess she has become a jailhouse lawyer.
Go to:
http://www.dcor.state.ga.us/GDC/OffenderQuery/jsp/OffQryRedirector.jsp
Under Inmate Info, type in Ethel Elizabeth Tessmer. U don't have to type all that other that they ask you about it will still direct you to her.
to bad she ani't a black football or basketball player,then she could get a bunch of jocksniffing loosers to start crying that her carrer was ruined because of one little mistake and that they need to change the law for her
10:52, you seem to think everyone is a "jocksniffer". What's the matter, did you get cut from the team in high school, or did you fail to make the all-stars in little league?
sounds to me like they are speeking the truth,i would have to agree that because of so called "JOCKSNIFFERS" this case made the head lines if this person would have been a stock boy at krogers this matter would not be known to the general public and yes race has played a big part in this issue
I am of the opinion that Beth got a very bad deal. Emotions were raw on both sides of the aisle and I would hesitate to say that anyone deserves to die but her hubby sure needed a good old fashioned ass whuppin' for the way he dealt with her. Her service to this community and her level of competence as a peace officer was used against her. The argument was successfully made that she of all people should have known to reach out for help and that because she took matters into her own hands, she deserves the maximum penalty. What if she had been the one who died that day? Our children might be playing at "Beth Tessmer Park."
I totally agree with you ANON 4:22. Her husband was mean and cruel to her all the time. It's kinda hard being married to an alcoholic when your not and I guess it was hard for her to leave in fear of her life. I do believe she was done wrong by our court system and shouldn't have been sentenced at all! He needed more than a good ole' ass whoopin!
I guess if it had been the judges daughter that was married to this cruel man that beat her and abused her mentally and physically things might have gone a different route.
she got what she deserved...period!what she did was not "a little mistake". she committed murder with her police issued gun. she had fellow policemen friends and coworkers she could've gone to if her husband was truly abusing her!
You made my point for me. "She should have known better...She used her city issued weapon...etc.
When you break this tragedy down to the human side of it, there was a total breakdown of everything that should have happened. She's to blame, her husband was too. Her friends should have known and should have stepped in. Her superiors should have done something. There could be dozens of other excuses. She was a big, stern looking woman with a badge. Her husband was skinny and barefoot a lot of the time. Whatever you want. Under all of that was a scared and scarred often abused woman who needed help and didn't ask.
Why should it matter what gun she used? If she felt like she needed to defend herself then she should have used the first gun she could get her hands on.I dont even think that her being a police should matter in this situation. She was off duty when she shot him.
The argument was made that she was supposed to have checked her gun in after her shift that day and she didn't.
Please explain to me how race plays a part in this situation? A WHITE woman murdered her WHITE husband....was convicted by an almost all WHITE jury and sentenced by a WHITE judge....
I don't understand your point, Anon 1:53. Please elaborate!
Dont pay any attention to anon 1:53......he/she is just mad because he never got picked for any sport. Probably the biggest nerd in Lamar co.
I knew her husband for many many years. I dont think he had a mean bone in his body. He liked to drink but so do a lot of people. And with the size difference between them, I dont see how he beat her up. By looking at them, I would think she had the upper hand. But who knows....its over and done with.
It might be over and done with for the late husband but the judicial system continues to punish the other victim.
I too understand that the husband was a good guy and a lot of fun to be around but he like so many others(both skinny and big framed) changed into someone else when he drank. So much sadness.
she could have kicked his ass no matter if he was drunk or sober
It was wrong for him to beat her or abuse her, but being trained as the city's domestic violence expert I think she could have gotten away and sought assistance. This was not the first attemnpt she made on his life. Thier mobile home was set a fire shortly before this incident. Hummmmm...
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