Utah inmate admits missed chances

The kid has obviously got money. With his collared Polo shirt and bleached swatch of hair, he looks more preppie than addict.

But Jordan Gleave is actually 23 and has a history of crimes and probation violations related to drug use under his belt dating back years. Today his hands are cuffed and his new Nikes tucked beneath the bench of a holding cell.

He's exasperated, responding to the third set of questions from armed agents at the regional office of Utah's Adult Probation and Parole division.

"I was straight up with him," he blusters to agent Nathan Eldridge. "I told him I was going to piss dirty."

"You were going to get another chance —" Eldridge starts....

"Look, I know that I haven't taken advantage of my opportunities," the offender interrupts.

"I understand what you have to do. I know I'm going to jail because of my actions," Gleave said. "It's called an addiction."

Gleave is sullen and angry with reporters who are documenting a day's worth of interactions between AP&P agents and their clients. His case and crimes are well-documented in court, police and state files, but he chooses not to be interviewed about why he is handcuffed with parole agents.

An hour later he is back in a Salt Lake County Jail cell for violating probation — one more inmate in a jail population of 1,986 that day, and one more failure for a criminal justice system overburdened with substance abusers who won't or can't quit.

The circumstances that got Gleave here repeat over and over for parole and probation agents every week.

Gleave originally pleaded guilty to attempted forgery and theft by receiving in a July 2005 case. He did 15 days in jail, but a judge waived the rest of the one-year jail sentence and ordered three months of probation.

He got out of jail, and a week later — on the first day he reported to his supervising probation agent at AP&P

— he tested positive for marijuana.

At a court hearing shortly after that, 3rd District Judge Denise Lindberg said she would have "zero tolerance" for Gleave's future probation violations.

Three months later, on March 23, 2006, AP&P issued another warrant because the offender failed to comply with probation.