Hierarchy

XXII

November 2017

"How are you feeling?" Mr Reinfield asks as I sit down next to him in the court room. I mumble out a fine as the guard removes the too tight cuffs. "Well this is a year in the planning so I just hope it goes according to plan."

"The evidence speaks for itself, right?"

He nods his head slowly, "Though they are always more leanient on correction officers, don't worry though Judge Parsons is clean and a family friend so we have a leg up."

I nod my head, "I'm testifying first right?"

"Yes," He tells me, "I gave the opening speech and I can tell the jury are mostly on our side, hearing and seeing you today can only help our case."

We sat in silence for a while and then the judge came in and started the proceedings. When I was finally called to the stand, I was lead by the court room guard and told to recite some things with my hand on a bible.

"Miss WestWood, how old are you?" Mr Reinfield asks 

"Seventeen." I answer courtly 

"And why are you currently incarcerated?" he continues 

"Murder." 

"Whose murder?"

"My then boyfriend, Finn." I reply, looking at the jury who are all staring at me with unreadable faces.

"You're currently having your years dropped to 3 from 8. Why was it so high?" 

"Finn was the head of a large crime organization who had many influential people involved including the judge who tried my case. When they found out what he did in his spare time along with the multiple eye witnesses, they dropped the years down."

"Why not put you in a juvenile detention center?"

"There are still many people who hate me for what I've done and claim I deserve to continue in rainview." I answer and Mr Reinfield nods his head.

"When is the first time you were attacked by Rachel Inez?" 

"My first night in jail."

"Can you describe what had taken place?"

I nod my head and cast my head back, "I was 15 and scared for my life, the guards were not friendly at all and pushed me around the whole time. I was the put inside a place I thought would be my cell but Rachel Inez and some other people were there and beat me so bad I couldn't see from my right eye. She said welcome to hell and said that she would continue until I kill myself and meet Finn in hell."

"Your honor, relevance?" The lawyer for the defense asks

"It will become evident soon." Mr Reinfield says to the judge who tells him to proceed, "When you told the guard about what happened, what happened?"

"I told Officer Spene because he was the one who left me in the room in the first place, I thought it was a mistake but then he said that I'm lucky she didn't do more." I answer

"Later on, did you find out the reason for this response?"

I nod my head, "Rachel was sleeping with Officer Spene who she had met in Finn's, excuse my language, whorehouse." I explain

"So he had let this go unpunished?" I nod my head at his words, "Did this get any better?"

I shake my head, "No sir. Inez and her friends started a partnership of sorts, many girls sleeping with guards who would then overlook the treatment they gave others in the jail."