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Most Politicians Would Be on the Other Side of the Table

The Missouri Parole Board was apparently pretty bored with its job, deciding whether offenders who were up for parole would get out, or stay in prison. Parole Board member Don Ruzicka, a former state legislator, admits he came up with a game to make hearings more fun: if a Board member or other employee said one of the “words of the day,” they’d score points. For instance, “platypus,” “hootenanny,” or the Johnny Cash song “Folsom Prison Blues” — say one, and score a point. In one hearing, Ruzicka asked an inmate what he had stolen, and then replied, “That’s a pretty rare item, about like a platypus.” Every time someone scored, it led to laughter from the Board. A report by the state Department of Corrections’ Inspector General concluded from listening to recordings of the hearings that the Board members “were trying so hard to embed the words or song titles into their questions or statements that they were not focused on the proper questions to ask nor were they actively listening to the responses from the offenders.” Ruzicka has resigned. (RC/WDAF Kansas City) ...Suggested words to work into the I.G. report: “malfeasance,” “indictment,” and the Green Day song, “American Idiot.”