Many people in Minnesota may talk of “country club prisons” in which those convicted of white-collar crimes go for a few years, waiting for the end of their sentences. The idea that rich people convicted ofembezzlement in Minneapolis would somehow end up in anything short of the prisons used for everyone else, however, is preposterous. Though individuals who were convicted of white-collar charges may be in lower-security prisons, they are still in prison.
It may be this idea that anyone convicted of something like embezzlement would serve substantially less time and in nice facilities that may have contributed to the notion that white-collar crimes are not serious. These are not little problems that you can just clear up on your own with police; they require the dedicated help of an experienced criminal defense attorney. Not only could a lawyer help reduce or altogether eliminate a prison sentence, but he or she may also be able to clear a suspect’s name entirely.
One of these federal prisons in which many people convicted of white-collar are sent is in northern Minnesota. Far from the posh living situations that some may imagine, there are small, cramped rooms with bunk beds. There is absolutely no privacy and each day is run exactly the same.
While there may be some television and potentially access to the Internet, both are heavily monitored and severely restricted. For someone convicted of embezzlement, however, the infrequent entertainment is the only luxury available in an otherwise regimented prison.
Source: CNBC, “White Collar ‘Country Club’ Prisons? Not So Much,” Scott Cohn, Oct. 22, 2012