Proof nobody can be trusted in the criminal justice system

Joseph Stalin supposedly said, “I trust no one, not even myself.”  Though few should consider Stalin a great giver of advice, this local Ohio story highlights why a “trust no one” mantra is applicable in some modern criminal justice systems.  The story is headlined “Former Pickaway corrections officer sent to prison for stealing from inmates,” and here are the basics:

A former corrections officer was sentenced this morning to three years in prison for stealing about $18,000 from prisoners’ accounts at the Pickaway County jail.  Karen S. Brown, 46, of Circleville, pleaded guilty to theft in office and repaid the stolen money prior to being sentenced by Common Pleas Court Judge P. Randall Knece.

Brown, who faced a maximum of five years in prison, also was banned from public employment for life.  A long-time deputy until she was fired, Brown was in charge of handling cash taken from prisoners when they were booked and depositing the money into a trust account. She altered bank-deposit slips and stole some of the cash.