Will "The Juice" Go Loose?

This summer, O.J. Simpson is up for parole. Wait a sec. Why is he in jail? It’s NOT for the bloody murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. If you remember correctly, he was found not guilty in the criminal case in 1995. While he was found guilty in the civil trial two years later, you don’t need to be a criminal lawyer to know that people don’t get jail time for civil culpability.
 
As a result of the civil trial, O.J. was ordered to pay the Brown and Goldman families to the tune of $33.5 million, most of which they will probably never see for two reasons. First, he moved to the Sunshine State, taking advantage of Florida’s homestead exemption which precludes creditors from forcing the sale of residences to pay off debts. Second, his NFL pension amounting to a monthly figure of about $25,000 is untouchable by creditors under ERISA (Employee Retirement Income Security Act).
 
Money issues aside, Simpson is currently incarcerated in Nevada’s Lovelock Correctional Center after he was found guilty in 2008 of ten counts including robbery, kidnapping, assault, and burglary while in possession of a deadly weapon. While the facts were contested at trial, he and his co-defendants allegedly entered a Las Vegas hotel room looking to recoup several items of sports and personal memorabilia stolen from Simpson including photos of his children. This six-minute confrontation with the supposed thieves lasted six minutes and Simpson was subsequently sentenced to 33 years in prison, with the eligibility for parole after nine years (October 2017).
 
Whether or not Simpson will be granted parole is based on eleven factors evaluated by the fine establishment personnel at Lovelock:

• Age at the time of prisoner’s first arrest
• Prior revocations of probation or parole
• Employment history at the time of arrest
• Category of offense leading to conviction
• History of drug or alcohol abuse
• Gender
• Age
• Gang membership
• Vocational or treatment programs completed while incarcerated
• Reported disciplinary issues
• Level of custody in prison

 
His odds are good. He was a well-behaved prisoner, often mopping the floors and mentoring younger inmates. He took an active role in the recreational sports at Lovelock and had no disciplinary issues. Also, he’ll be 70 years old at the time of the parole hearing, hardly a threat that he’ll return to his mischievous ways.
 
It looks like “The Juice” will be loose come October.

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