Roger Avary is the Academy Award winning co-writer of “Pulp Fiction.” The latest story is that he has been removed from a prison work furlough program and locked up in the county jail – not a happy change for him.

Apparently, Avary was tweeting about his experiences inside the work furlough program and some are suggesting these tweets painting a negative picture of life in the program led to the change to regular jail, although prison officials deny this. They say it was for security reasons. He was chronically in 140 characters or less drug deals, bad food, and various grim goings-on.

Avary has tweeted that his “rollup” to jail was punishment for “exercising First Amendment rights.”

My first reaction to this? I am sure the friend you killed in this accident would be happy to trade places with you. Hmmm. One year in jail – eternity in the grave?  Really, he got a pretty darn good deal.

I certainly can hear the alcoholic in this guy. I mean – you killed a human being driving drunk and you’re whining about a measly one year in prison? Your free speech rights? Someone still clearly doesn’t have his priorities straight or truly grasp the enormity of what happened.

Frankly, I think Avary is confused about his rights. He’s in prison. He’s lost a lot of rights. Here’s a tidbit from the Anti-Defamation League on prisoner 1st Amendment rights.

Because of the particular challenges administrators face running prisons, the Supreme Court has acknowledged there is a compelling government interest which warrants limiting prisoners’ rights. Courts have been deferential to prison officials’ assessments of security threats, and sensitive to their related regulatory decisions, even if such decisions impact inmates’ First Amendment rights.

I worry when a person whose drinking led to the death of another complains about their lot. Perspective, people.   In one year he can go about his business again – a few more years of probation – and life his life. Not too shabby a deal when you really consider it.

http://blogs.wsj.com/chinajournal/2009/09/08/no-death-sentence-for-drunk-driver-in-china/

Of course, I’ve always thought the courts don’t do drunk drivers any favors. I mean, four DUIs, chances are you aren’t a social drinker. Yet, the punishment, while embarrassing and inconvenient, often isn’t enough of a kick in the pants for that hard-core alcoholic who craves a much worse bottom ;0-).

Meanwhile, In Canada this week, a court handed down its first life sentence for a repeat offender who ended up killing a woman in a wheelchair when driving drunk.   It signals a major change in attitudes toward drunk driving.

I tell you I am so happy to be sober. I would not want to be one of these people, and I certainly could be if I were still drinking. It’s so nice to be able to go out with friends and have a good time and know I can get in my car safely and drive home.

However, I truly believe normal drinkers only need one DUI to get the message. They think, “I never want to do that again! How horrifying!”  Normal drinkers rarely get multiple DUIs.

Alcoholics are the ones who get multiple DUIs (or risk getting them but “luck” out). Why is this? Because alcoholics don’t have much say in how much they drink once they start drinking. They might say they will only have one then will wait at least an hour before driving, but once they have that one they usually find themselves making bargains with, I don’t know, the DUI gods.

“Ok, I’ll have another, but I’ll eat something to absorb it and I’ll wait a little longer. I don’t really feel that drunk…etc….etc…”

I know a few people who have gotten DUIs and it was mortifying. They swore they’d never risk drinking before driving again. The alcoholics usually do drink and drive again. Sometimes they get caught, often they don’t.

A recent story out of New Mexico reported that requiring anyone convicted of a DUI  to install an Interlock device (a device you have to breathe into and prevents starting the car if it detects alcohol) dramatically reduced the rate of drunk driving as well as alcohol-related driving fatalities.  Most states treat the first DUI as a “whoops!”  New Mexico has proven that for many it is not just a whoops – and adding an obstacle like the Interlock device makes a big different.