An Inmate Letter from Utah – Courtesy of HEARD

This is one of four Inmate Letters I received from HEARD, in my inbox last night. I will be posting them today, as I get them converted and redacted. We need to redact all inmate letters to protect the safety of these brave individuals who speak out against an unfair and unjust system. Although I

Kids Behind Bars – from Prisonmovement’s Weblog

This is a reblog from Prisonmovement’s Weblog. They did an excellent job in writing this piece. I should mention as well, that they’ve reformatted their site recently, and it looks awesome. As I’ve said before, I very much enjoy their work and consider it an honor to call myself a colleague. Before the other boys

Plea For Help From Law Enforcement

Over the years, I have known some dirty cops. I’ve known some sadistic cops. I’ve even known some outright evil cops. What’s rarely mentioned however is that I’ve also known an equal number of honest, hardworking and dedicated cops who truly wanted to serve the communities in which they lived and worked. I’ve actually interfaced

From CBS News – Deaf Captive Held For SS Checks

This story was covered by CBS News, and brought to my attention by Marsha Graham. Held captive by a neighbor, he was beaten, starved and forced to sign over his Social Security checks. The checks were valued at about 600 dollars a month. “He was physically abused. No scars, but the body was being beaten,”

Prison Not Always A Downer – Visiting Days

All we hear are the bad, the ugly and depressing times in prison, and true, it is so. But there are happy times, that even the guards will sometimes put on a smile. I have been a visitor to prisons in Florida, North Carolina and California. Visiting days are essentially all the same – full

Crises Management, Harris County Jail and Mental Health

In this morning’s Houston Chronicle (Friday, Sept 7, 2012, B8), the editor describes an innovative and humane program that has been implemented by the Harris County Jail. The editor reports that the Harris County Jail has become a “de facto mental hospital” as “almost 25% of its inmates, many of them non-violent, suffer from mental

Class action law suit related to interpreters in Denver County Jail

The law firm Fox & Robertson has published information on the Ulibarri v. City and County of Denver. This class action lawsuit challenges accommodations for deaf and diabetic inmates in the custody of the Denver Police Department and the Denver County Jail. http://www.foxrob.com/current-cases/ulibarri-v-city-and-county-of-denver/ On the website are documents which may be of interest to other

Reading Levels and the Jail Medical Psychological Intake Form

The majority of deaf adults cannot read the jail/prison medical/intake form without the aid of a certified sign language interpreter. However, rarely do jails and prison provide deaf inmates with interpreters. This can and does result in human tragedy. The medical/psychological intake form is a one-page form that is given to the inmate during the

Update on Taylor Swift Story – Principal Says “Let’s Do It.”

The principal at Horace Mann school thinks that it would be crueler to deny his students the pleasure of a Taylor Swift visit. According to the Boston Herald: Ford said that if Swift’s peeps put the kibosh on the concert, it would be “extremely short-sighted.” “We would have the concert beautifully translated into American Sign

A Little History

My wife found this for me. It’s a great read. Although I have no idea who to cite for accreditation, it is presented here, unedited and unaltered. *** Dr. Frank Mayfield was touring Tewksbury Institute when, on his way out, he accidentally collided with an elderly floor maid. To cover the awkward moment Dr. Mayfield