WE DIDN'T BLINK

There was a very public showdown recently. It played out in public. On one side, a renegade, flouting the rules, whipping the public into a frenzy. On the other side, an autocratic "rules must be obeyed" mentality.

People took sides.  The old line "rules" people wanted the status quo. The renegades wanted change; the rules were oppressive and unfair to the people. 
Interested parties tried to mediate, with limited success. 

Germany vs. Greece.  France and Italy tried to mediate the standoff.

Justice Building Blog vs. TGK.  
FACDL tried to mediate. 
Greece blinked. 
We did not. 

Members:

 

Following up on Brian Kirlew's email of last week, as well as my emails about the same subject, we wanted to bring all of the members up to speed on what is happening. 

 

A meeting took place today at the MDC&R Headquarters.  This was their weekly Command Staff meeting and all of the Captains' that run each facility were present at the meeting.  Legal Advisor Patricia Jones was also present and advised all those present at the meeting of the issue concerning attorneys' visits to inmates' in a barrier free environment.  All of the Command Staff were reminded of the Directive and policy in place and all were asked to communicate the policy to their sergeants and officers.  We were assured that the issue has been addressed and they hope it will now resolve the problem that has been happening for the past 2-3 weeks.

 

They again asked me to ask each of you, if any of you run into the problem again, please email: myself or Marcos Beaton atmbeaton@royblack.com and Michelle Estlund at mestlund@estlundlaw.com with specific details of the incident.

 

Some of you have expressed a concern if your name is used when we speak with MDC&R about any specific incidents.  If you feel this way, you can email us anonymously if you so desire - we will not use your name even if you email us directly.  What Corrections really needs is the date, time, location, and officer's name that told you that you could not see an inmate in a barrier free environment.  If you are ok with us using your name, and/or the inmate's name, please let us know.

 

Once again, we hope this solves the problem.  This Procedural Directive concerning Attorney and Professional Visits has been in place for nearly five years and it has worked nearly flawlessly during that time. We hope it continues to work as it was written and that you have no further issues. 

 

Thank you all for your emails and feedback.

 

Rick Freedman