UPDATE: We feel like John Kerry trying to explain the " I actually voted for the bill before I voted against it" comment in the 2004 election. So - to quote another politician- let me be perfectly clear:
It is a very nice thing that Mr. Martinez has done in creating a video conference system. It is extremely thoughtful and kind that he has graciously extended the ability of video conferencing to the private defense bar and Regional Counsel. We appreciate his efforts and we published his email as a way of assisting him in getting his message out- because who reads those FACDL emails anyway?
Good morning Sabrina.
I want to take this opportunity to inform FACDL that beginning next month,
we will have two rooms at our main office, the Bennett H. Brummer Building, equipped with secure video connection to cells at TGK and Metro West for defense attorneys and Regional Counsel Joseph George and his assistants, to interview their in-custody clients.
In the past 18 months, we tested, purchased and installed communications
equipment at those two jail facilities in a joint project with Miami-Dade
Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Director Tim Ryan. We
anticipate that on or around September 15, we will be able to begin
scheduling the interviews. The process for scheduling an interview is
described below.
The project will help us improve client communication (earlier and more
frequent), reduce traffic congestion and the environmental impact of
traveling to and from TGK and Metro West. This project will also increase
the amount of time available to work on cases rather than driving or
waiting to see an in-custody client.
Our video equipment has been installed in the following cells:
MW:
2D3 - for clients housed in units 2D3 and 2D4
2B3 - All clients housed on the 2nd floor
3B3 - All clients housed on the 3rd floor
TGK:
K111
K2 -1 thru K2 – 8
K4 - 1 thru K4 – 6
K6 - 1 thru K6 – 4
K8 - 1 & 2
K8 - medical isolation unit
After September 15, attorneys can call 305.545.1716 to check availability.
Specify that you want to conduct a video conference interview. Please
schedule the interview two business days in advance. Provide the interview coordinator your client’s name, the jail number, and jail cell location.
Because of frequent inmate movement throughout the jail facilities, please
make sure that your client is still at the facility and cell location the
morning of your scheduled interview. If your client has been moved, please
call the coordinator to check if you need to cancel or reschedule. Inmates
are sometimes moved to cells that have video access and have available
interview time.
Appointments are scheduled in 30 minutes intervals (1 hr video interviews
may be scheduled) from 8:00 am - 2:30 p.m., and between 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Due to shift change and headcount, interviews cannot be conducted between 2:30 and 4:00 pm. All 2:00 pm appointments must end by 2:30 pm. The last interview that we will schedule is at 4:30 p.m.
The coordinator will verbally confirm whether or not space is available.
If a room is available, the reservation will be made and we will fax and
email you a written confirmation. If for some reason your interview needs
to be cancelled, please notify the coordinator so that the room can be
assigned to someone else. The coordinator is the same person who reserves the deposition rooms and handles multiple assignments in our office. Please note: if the coordinator is not available, leave a message and your call will be returned within the hour.
We continue to work with the Department to later expand the project to the
stockade, and explore the potential a direct secure connection from
attorney offices to the jail.
Sincerely,
Carlos J. Martinez
Public Defender
Rumpole says: It seems like it will be easier to get a suspected terrorist transferred from Gitmo to a county court courtroom than to schedule a video interview. However, the PD and his crew have their heart in the right place.
15 comments:
Rump- I understand the confusion, but it's easier than it looks. Try this 8 step EZ matrix:
1) Is your client born in a month that ends in R?
2) if yes- locate the Fibonacci number closest to the sum of the letters in your client's FULL NAME:
ie- John Luis Smith born in October. Month ends in R so proceed to step 2- - total number of letters is 13. Fibonacci sequence is 0+1=2; 2+1=3;3+2=5
we express the fibonacci sequence this way:
0/1/2/3/5/8/13/21/34, etc-
3) so 13 is the nearest (or in this case the exact) fibonacci number.
4) Locate the jail number and add it and then divide it by the fibonacci number-
5) F10-23415 is our sample jail number so we add 10+2+3+4+1+5=25
6) 25/13= 1.923 - this is your client's PD assigned code number.
7) Call the PDs office 1-800-vid-nows and enter your client's code number without the decimal point- 1923- you will then be prompted to enter your bar card number, your social security number, your office number, your cell phone number and your fax number and to SPEAK your email address.
8) You will then be assigned 4:25 on the next Friday afternoon for a one half hour conference. Basically 4:25 on a Friday is the only time the PDs office will reserve for private attorneys. Regional Counsel will be assigned 7am on Sundays, but that's because we all hate them.
So there you have it- 8 easy steps to schedule a video conference for 4:25 on a Friday afternoon.
Fight for Florida on November 2, 2010 -
www.fightforflorida2010.com
Rump,
you are way off base with this. I am a PD and the video conference feature is a runaway hit. Not everything Carlos Martinez does needs to be treating with suspicion, sarcasm or contempt from you or the other contributors on this blog. This is the first step to include the private bar and allow them to take advantage of what has been a successful venture. As the program expands, more private attorneys will be able to use this feature. Why don't you do something to help the private bar Rump? Wait, you just blog and criticize.
hey PD- here was my comment- go find someone to read it to you:
Rumpole says: It seems like it will be easier to get a suspected terrorist transferred from Gitmo to a county court courtroom than to schedule a video interview. However, the PD and his crew have their heart in the right place.
I said he has his heart in the right place- meaning he is trying to implement a program that will help all of us. I also said the rules seem a bit complex. That;s it. Believe me- I've treated Silent Chucky a lot worse.
Rump, 11:25 here. I got someone to read it to me and there is sarcasm in your comment. Carlos clearly has his head in the right place, but once this video feature becomes more streamlined, private attorneys will be able to eventually send an email from their computers and do everything from the comforts of their palatial Brickell offices. Carlos could have just said screw the private bar, but he didn't.
the idea that the time saved by attorneys in not having to drive to TGK will be spent on working on the cases we have is applicable to few attorneys in miami. The additional time will be spent on kids, school, and wives (husband) issues. We really do suck...please
i wish they had this when i was a pd. my clients would have gotten to meet me before before trial.
good job carlos-
Ok, try this:
1) Call the phone number provided. This will connect you to the person you need to speak to.
2) Say, "[hello,] I want to conduct a video conference interview [please]." This will let the person know that you would like to conduct a video conference interview.
NB: If your client isn't in jail or is at another jail, you can't talk to them in jail or at the jail that they are not at. This is non-negotiable.
3) You have 30 minutes to speak with your client, unless you need more time, in which case you'll have to ask for that. If you ask for more time, you'll get an hour. If that's not enough time, you'll have to ask for more time.
NB: You can't make an appointment during certain times - you'll know when they are because you'll be told that the room isn't available for the times in which it is not available.
4) The person on the other end of the phone will say something to the effect of, "Ok you have an appointment." That communication is intended to let you know that you have an appointment. To be certain, you'll also receive written confirmation stating that you have an appointment.
5) If you can't make it to your interview, you'll need to call the number again and say, "I can't make it to the interview." This will cancel your interview.
NB: If no one answers, leave a message saying, "I can't make it to the interview." This will cancel your interview.
NB: Should you have a complaint with this service, fill out the complaint form and mail it to the hospital in which you were born.
11:25- believe me genius (see there is sarcasm) if I was being sarcastic you would know it.
I know that by writing that his heart was in the right place I was giving him credit for his work. My statement re- Gitmo was just a humorous way of noting that the procedure seems a little bit difficult.
Great idea, seriously. (I mean it)
Now, for the gratuitous cynicism:
It will make it so much easier for sleazebag lawyers to steal clients. They won't even have to leave their palatial offices on NW South River Drive.
Cynicism End.
Rumpole
the system works and Carlos and his administration do deserve cedit for the advance to video interviews. Kudos to Carlos on this.
DS
video conference? go to the jail
I too am a PD and I must say that this is very suspicious of "Fat Charlie". I, along with many others, can only view this as a ploy to get votes for the next election. Please private bar, if you have any sympathy for us PD's, help us oust him and make the future of the office bright. DON'T VOTE FOR HIM!!!
6:27, I am a PD and I am deeply suspicious of why you want Carlos ousted so bad. Indeed, I think that he has had made several decisions and changes that I take issue with. I think a lot of these decisions were meant to be helpful to APDs, but had the opposite effect. But lets get real here, being an APD is a good gig (minus the pay part). You get great experience (provided you are not lazy) and will be able to land a way more lucrative job in 3-5 years of service if. Carlos, despite many of his questionable decisions, is truly doing what he thinks is right and best for the office. He often does the wrong thing, but he actually cares. I can live with a leader whose heart is in the right place but screws up than one who has no soul. See the SAO to see such a leader.
Fellow PD, I do agree with you on some issues. First, I am damn proud to be a PD and do think it's a great gig (of course minus the pay). I love fighting for the cause even if justice has been mostly lost in Miami and the country. However, the reason that many of us want Carlos ousted is because we feel his heart is not in the right place. Most of his policies are more than questionable. How can one demand that for starters, depositions be taken from 9-5, all of our clients seen within 14 days of arraignment, and our "stats" be up to par. It seems as though all he cares about is how authorities in Tallahassee and the courts view us. I along with most others, probably including yourself, signed up to be a PD to help the oppressed and indigent because we are their only hope. Under the Carlos regime, it seems as though the very people we set out to save are the very ones that are getting screwed. When it comes down to it, Carlos doesn't want us to be effective. He wants us to be overworked and ineffective so that possibly, when hell freezes over, the "motion" can succeed. Put simply, Carlos has no freaking clue how to run the office. This is a man who when he was a PD like us, he would do whatever it took to dodge trial and push cases out of the way. I'm just saying I think we need a person who understands what it's like to be a REAL PD and not just another "save face" politician. Regardless of our differing views, whoever you are, it is a pleasure to fight the battle with you.
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