Jail is 'Like Freedom,' Ex-Lawyer Says, Now That She's Facing Her Addiction and Depression Issues
Now serving six months after making headlines in her South Dakota community for allegedly leading police on a high-speed, booze-fueled chase and taking at least $20,000 from a client trust account, a former Sioux Falls lawyer says she is seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.
After admitting her criminal conduct and facing up to her addiction and depression issues, Mary Ann Giebink says she is feeling much better about her life and seeing a positive side to her time in jail in Minnehaha County, according to the Argus Leader.
“I was dying inside. This is like freedom,” she told the newspaper earlier this month. “There’s no secrecy anymore. How freeing is that? Everybody knows me for who I am now.”
Among other plus factors to being incarcerated, Giebink, who is in her early 50s, cites not having to cook, a free pair of shoes and the opportunity “to see the system from the other side.”
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Now-Disbarred Attorney: ‘I Knew I Was Creating My Own Disaster’ “
ABAJournal.com: “Sober Since 1981, Lawyer Has Helped Many Others With Wide Array of Issues”
