Palmer had worked at the prison in Dannemora for more than 27 years and had a base salary of $72,644. He had known Sweat and Matt for at least five years.
That’s a serious amount of money. Upstate, rural New York, and he’s getting 150% of the US median wage? And for 27 years……should know what is what.
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. — A prison guard charged in connection with the escape of two killers admitted providing them with tools, paint, frozen hamburger and even access to a catwalk electrical box, but claims he never knew they planned to bust out, authorities say.
Err, yeah.
Quite a high pay rate for someone quite that dim, no? Unions, dontcha’ love ’em?
Base salary too, so we can expect overtime and various Union-negotiated bonuses on top. Nutter.
Also this would scupper any explanation of actions due to low pay incentivising crime facilitation by prison staff.
Still, if the union are on the ball, it won’t cost him his humungous final salary pension.
Apropos nothing in particular: “Boehner is by far the MOST EVIL politician I have ever encountered in Washington, whereas Hillary Clinton is probably the most corrupt, and Obama is the most incompetent, this trio will go down in history.”
How is he dim? He has two choices:
1) I had no idea they were going to escape.
2) I helped them escape.
Chose option 2, go to jail and lose your pension. He quite reasonably chose option 1.
He is dim because he either:
1) Had no idea they were going to escape
2) Helped them escape.
It’s not his excuse that’s dumb it’s the fact he either didn’t know or that he helped them.
Well, to be fair to him, they didn’t ask for a giant pin up poster of Rita Hayworth, which might have been more of a clue…
Prison guard pay is nothing much to do with intelligence – it’s basically danger money. Markets.
In fairness to the fool it is a fact that some jailhouse inmates are not only more intelligent than the screws (and LE generally) but are also devious and manipulative to a degree the average person would never imagine. There is an interesting book “Games Criminals Play” which details the myriad manipulative strategies deployed by intelligent psychopaths and con men inside to “work” the guards, civilian admin etc.
If he didn’t think they were planning to escape, what did he think they were up to? Presumably rubbing out one or more of the other inmates.
Dearieme
“Still, if the union are on the ball, it won’t cost him his humungous final salary pension.”
He can claim it when he comes out of prison in 100 years time.
Interesting that Ecks is so up on intelligent psychopaths.
Biggie: You could be accepted into their ranks. If only you were intelligent. Or perhaps not. There are depths to which even psychopaths will not sink.
“He can claim it when he comes out of prison in 100 years time.” Just think of the medicare bills in the meantime.
“It seems like he may have done bad things, but I hope people take into consideration he also gave 28 years of his life to that prison.”
That’s true. 28 years and he only let 2 people escape, as Tim would say, that’s just a rounding error.
Maybe it is just me, but is intelligence a desirable attribute in a prison guard?
Honesty and integrity, yes. But you really want someone moping about a prison contemplating the meaning of existence? Although it might make for an interesting reality TV show. Or perhaps an amusing cartoon series. Imagine D. H. Lawrence as a screw? Quentin Crisp?
Ecks
“There is an interesting book “Games Criminals Play” which details the myriad manipulative strategies deployed by intelligent psychopaths and con men inside to “work” the guards, civilian admin etc.”
Think there should be a version for school teachers, suitably adapted, with the cons replaced by the kids.
Mr Ecks
June 26, 2015 at 9:32 am
“devious and manipulative to a degree the average person would never imagine”
===============
My first wife, the good one, was a bank manager. She told me that in her early days, training as a teller, they had a flim-flam artist come to her window. They told her he was a flim-flam artist. He proceeded to produce currency and ask for change. After a short series of exchanges, she became lost, and the artist got money from her.
Moral of the story: you can’t engage a flim-flam artist, you will lose. It doesn’t matter how smart you are, you will lose.
Gamecock
That’s a fascinating anecdote. I think confidence tricksters probably do very well out of intelligent people, they wouldn’t be expecting to lose after all.
(“My first wife, the good one” – I think a better arrangement of affairs is to make sure that the good wife is your most recent one. But not something we can plan for, admittedly.)
That’s a fascinating anecdote.
I concur. I once watched a flim-flam artist, to use Gamecock’s expression, diddle a clerk over a store counter in Manchester. I have to admit, he was damned good. Came in asking for change for a tenner and somehow – again after a quick series of exchanges in which he did all the talking – walked out with a tenner and five coins. As he reached the door, the clerk, who was a mate of mine, said “Did he just diddle me there?” Happened too quickly to figure out what’s going on.
He must be praying that the cops shoot the other escaper too. Then neither can give evidence against him.