Tales of Probation - "Nothing Good Happens After Midnight"


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Come inside the criminal justice system, the court room, the probation office and the politics of working with elected officials. See what occurs when a defendant pleads guilty to a probation sentence. Visit intake interviews, probation violation hearings, drug screens, analyze interlock reports and observe case monitoring. And see what elections are like. For in-depth stories of individual defendants, there are eight case studies where you are introduced to the defendant’s legal and personal problems, their demons along with their failures and successes. Also see how the city of Nashville changed over the years from a sleepy big town to the “It City,” status it now has. And see how the author changed over the 26 years of his career. Part One of “Tales of Probation” takes you from 1993 to 2005.
is a veteran probation officer who supervised over 20,000 criminal defendants during his 26-year career for General Sessions court in Nashville, TN. This is his personal story as he covers the changes in the criminal justice system, the city of Nashville and himself. His personal interaction with his defendants is the key to the insightful and interesting book. Included are eight in-depth case studies of some of his most interesting defendants. Experience the face-paced environment and the waiting when going to court. Meet the Judges, the DA’s, the PD’s and the private attorneys as they go court every day. Along the way, you encounter madness and compassion. You meet his work family, tour the system and hear heartbreaking stories. The case studies take you deep into the mindset of the interesting individuals. See what it is like to work inside the system and what life is for those who work in it every day. During his career, he had an estimated 100 defendants pass away to a variety of causes including murder.

Spent 26 years as a probation officer
Worked for 7 judges, one for 16 years
Started with a caseload of 450 plus defendants
For the first 5 years, averaged interviewing 1000 to 1200 defendants per year
Supervised 15,000 plus defendants along with an additional 5,000 plus u/a cases
Testified 8,000 plus times in court
70 % of defendants completed, 25% went to jail (3800), 5% outstanding warrants
Spent almost 13 years in a courtroom, witnessed thousands of defendants going to jail
Tim – Was one of the most unusual people I have ever met, and was my chameleon, he could fit in anywhere. With any crowd. At 14, he discovered drugs and they controlled his life for the next 18 years. Things looked up after he got sober until his drug use caught up to him and his body gave out. His mom asked me to speak at his funeral, and I was honored to do that.
Donald – My first doppleganger looked like Charles Manson. Mental issues ruled his life and he asked for help and the result was something I will never forget. On that day, I could have gotten shot or blown up. Luckily, I did not.
Rocky – Was someone I knew from my past. An extremely smart man, unfortunately cocaine ruled and controlled his life and took two families from him.
Mercedes – I dealt a lot with street prostitutes and she stood out from the regulars. Was definitely an interesting person.
Jaime – As a probation officer, you do not want repeat customers. Unfortunately, he has the distinction of being on probation more than any other probationer that I know of.
Bob – Another defendant with mental issues, he truly scared me and others. I ran into him at Juvenile court one day and a Public Defender I knew told me he also scared them. I have always wanted to know if there was a gun in the black bag he brought to the office one day.
Joe – The only defendant to tell me that nothing would happen to him because he had a “9 and a 357” to protect himself with. There is an old saying, “you live and die by the sword,” and that applied to him.
Layla – I was fortunate to know a woman like her. Her life was a battle between motherhood and opiates. Pills won for a number of years, but in my first interaction with her, she told me, “I want my kids back.” It took three stints in jail to get sober and succeed in getting her kids back.
Everyone on probation is guilty and has a suspended sentence which they agreed to when they took their plea. It is their probation and if they violate it, that sentence can be enforced. My job was to remind them of the consequences of their actions. If they violated their probation, they went to jail for their sentence. About 25% of my defendants went to jail.
is an interesting experience. When you sit down to interview someone, you never know what you are going to get.
Over the years, I have heard everything including:
From an exasperated Judge – “Finding an attorney is like herding cats.”
From a young kid from the projects – “I’m not worried, I got a 9 and a 357 to protect me.” Unfortunately, he died a horrible death, and his guns did not protect him.
“I want my kids back.” These were the first words from an opiate addict who still had mothering instincts left in her. She went to jail three times before getting clean.
From an out of touch pot smoker. “Do you want this now or later, it is my Colorado “Weed Card.” My response, “you know you are in Tennessee, don’t you and by the way, did you get high this morning?” His response, “how did you know?”
Attorney to me – “You act like my client is guilty.” My response, “am not sure where you attended law school, but your client def has already been found guilty and is on probation with a suspended sentence.”
From a medical report on a defendant with mental issues, he reported: “he hit himself in the head with a 2x4 to feel pain.”
“Have a seat,” was what my Judge said when she was revoking someone on a bond docket. Within a minute or so, a court officer would arrive with a set of handcuffs for the defendant.
“I turned when my GPS said turn,” said the intoxicated girl who listened to her GPS and turned her sub-compact car directly onto railroad tracks thus stranding it there.

In the early 1990’s, Nashville was a sleepy medium size town. The downtown area and party scene was almost non-existent except for Printer’s Alley. Lower Broad was not safe after dark and was full of XXX rated peep shows and dive bars.
Things changed in 1994, when the Wildhorse Saloon and Ryman opened and they drew people back downtown to party and go to concerts, and 2nd Avenue became the party district. Our arena opened on Lower Broad in 1997 for concerts and our NHL team, the Nashville Predators. This brought more people downtown. In 1999, the Titans played their first game at the stadium across the river. Before and after the game, people flocked to Lower Broad to eat, drink and party.
By 2015, motel room rates in Nashville, TN equaled or surpassed those in New York City. And Nashville became the “IT-CITY,” and Bachelorette capital of the USA!!!! Every day, open air party buses drove around downtown full of tourists partying to loud music.
We are no longer a sleepy little town!

Hal Gibbs possesses an "insider" perspective of the Tennessee legal system after supervising over 20,000 plus criminal defendants and providing expert testimony in over 8,000 court hearings during his 26-year career. As a probation officer for the General Sessions Court in Nashville, Tennessee, he stood on the front lines of the justice system and served seven different judges. Dealing daily with misdemeanors, he supervised drug cases, DUI’s, theft charges, a variety of other criminal cases and the reality of working with politicians. During these years, he gained a unique perspective on the human condition, and these experiences now fuel his writing.
He holds a BS from Middle Tennessee State University and a CEM from the University of Notre Dame. His literary debut, the memoir "And the Beat Goes On," was featured in the Spring 2024 edition of Southern Reader. When he isn't writing with his long-time workshop group, "Writer’s Friends," Hal remains deeply involved in his community, organizing alumni reunions for his high school class and college fraternity. Over the years, he has volunteered and raised money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Wreaths Across America and Toys for Tots. He currently lives in Middle Tennessee with his wife, where he enjoys photography and his family

you and your best friend Bob have been partying. It’s a full moon and everyone was getting crazy. The weather is great and you are driving down the road and suddenly, there are blue lights behind you. Within a couple of minutes, you are in handcuffs and charged with a DUI. Next is booking, then court. If you are lucky, you get probation and meet someone like me.
Hal Gibbs, Probation Officer.
You can send me a message or ask me a general question using this form.
I will do my best to get back to you soon!
Tennessee, USA
Katherine Stombs - contact at nostringscrochet.com
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