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Telephone Justice Moving Forward

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[Courtesy of New York Campaign for Telephone Justice] 1) REPORTBACK on Walton v. NYSDOCS discussion from meeting 2) GTL: New contact info for Spanish-speaking customer service supervisor 3) MEETINGS: Scheduled changes in NYCTJ meetings 4) GET INVOLVED: Upcoming Advocacy Days in Albany to Repeal the Rockefeller Drug Laws and Speak out for Women Prisoners ********************* 1. REPORTBACK on Walton v. NYSDOCS discussion from meeting Rachel Meeropol, CCR Staff Attorney on Walton v. NYSDOCS reported on the recent dismissal of the cases constitutional claims by Judge Ceresia of the NY State Supreme Court. She mentioned that she will be appealing Judge Ceresia’s decision to the Appellate Division in the next month and will likely make oral arguments before the Appellate Division in the early summer, and will hear a decision from them by the end of the summer. If the Appellate Division overturns Judge Ceresia’s decision, Walton v. NYSDOCS will proceed to discovery and trial. If the Appellate Division affirms Judge Ceresia’s decision, Ms. Meeropol will appeal to the NY State Court of Appeals – the state’s highest court – and, if this is the case, we will not receive a final decision until this time next year. All of this said, we spent some time at our meeting discussing how family members can help to increase the likelihood of the case succeeding. The last time Ms. Meeropol argued before the Court of Appeals (last January), the Justices immediately asked her, “how does Gov. Spitzer’s decision to eliminate the contract’s commission and reduce the rates affect this case?” She told them that it does not impact the case, because, while Gov. Spitzer’s decision to eliminate the kickback and reduce the rates (and the later passage of the Family Connections bill) has a positive impact on families moving forward, it does not provide relief for the prior unlawful taxing of prison families from the contract. During the meeting, then, we agreed that we need to mobilize families over the next year to continue pressing the issue that justice has not completely been served in regards to the NY prison telephone system. Families and advocates still need their money back! Some ideas we discussed are rallying outside the courthouse at upcoming arguments in Walton v. NYSDOCS, packing the courtroom at upcoming arguments in Walton v. NYSDOCS, conducting a surveying and publishing a report on how much money NY State stole from prison families over the years, and writing OP-EDs to our local newspapers. Please stay tuned for upcoming opportunities to engage in all of these activities. We need to make as much noise over the next year as possible if we want to win this potential class action lawsuit! 2. GTL: New contact info for Spanish-speaking customer service supervisor For those who have family members or are advocates for family members who speak Spanish, please take note that Denisce DeLeon is the Spanish language customer service representative at Global Tel*Link. She can be reached at [email protected]. I have not yet received her direct phone line, but please feel free to contact her via email for her phone number so that you may share it with Spanish-speaking families who have grave customer service problems with Global Tel*Link. 3. MEETINGS: Scheduled changes in NYCTJ meetings At our meeting last week, we discussed whether or not monthly meetings are still useful for families, advocates and allies. It seems that, since we have won much of our demands, monthly meetings are not as necessary as they once were; however, people expressed interest in continuing meetings when there are significant developments in the prison telephone system and the remaining lawsuit. As such, we decided that our NEXT meeting will be at the end of March 2008, so that we can discuss the NEW prison telephone contract which will go into effect April 1, 2008. While we do not have any information yet about what changes will result from the new contract, the new contract will have to comply with the Family Connections bill, passed last summer, and we hope it will include many of families’ demands that we brought before the Department of Correctional Services last year. SAVE THE DATE Wednesday, March 26, 2008** NYCTJ Meeting & Conference Call Join us to find out about what changes you will experience with the NEW prison telephone contract, which will go into effect April1, 2008 so that you are prepared for any unexpected changes in the system. Pick up fliers that will detail the changes so that you can share the information with your family, constituents and community. * In person: join us at 666 Broadway, 6th Floor. The closest trains are the B/D/F/V stop at Broadway-Lafayette and the 6 Train at Bleecker Street. Food will be served.? * On the phone: Call in to the meeting by dialing TOLL FREE (800) 298-6863. The Conference ID number: 6143333. **We have decided to host the meeting on the last Wednesday of March (rather than our usual last Tuesday of the month schedule) so that people who attend the Repeal the Rockefeller Drug Laws Advocacy Day (see below) will be able to attend. 4. GET INVOLVED: Upcoming Advocacy Days in Albany to Repeal the Rockefeller Drug Laws and Speak out for Women Prisoners March 4, 2008 Coalition for Women Prisoners Advocacy Day Join the Coalition for Women Prisoners for a day trip to Albany to call on New York’s elected officials to stop using prison as a response to the social ills that drive crime and to start allocating more resources to community-based, gender-specific alternative programs that save money and rebuild lives and families, and that allow women to make a healthy, safe, and productive return to their communities after prison. Help Advocate for: *Increased funding for family visiting programs in women’s prisons and more time for incarcerated mothers with children in foster care to work toward reunification and to prevent their parental rights from being terminated forever. *Medicate coverage upon release for women who entered prison without Medicaid already in place. *Better health services for women in prison & NYS Department of Health oversight and monitoring of HIV and Hepatitis C care in state prisons. *Merit time and early release from prison for domestic violence survivors incarcerated for committing crimes as a result of the abuse they suffered. *Repeal the Rockefeller Drug Laws & more funding for drug treatment and other alternative-to-incarceration programs for women. To get involved, contact Serena Alfieri at 212-254-5700 or at [email protected] March 25, 2008 Advocacy Day to Repeal the Rockefeller Drug Laws 3/25/2008. Join the Drop the Rock Coalition for an Advocacy Day in Albany to speak out for repeal of the Rockefeller Drug Laws. To sign up or for more information, contact Caitlin Dunklee at 212-254-5700 or at cdunklee@correction alassociation.org. If you are interested in attending Advocacy Day, and need a letter requesting permission for your P.O., please contact Caitlin and she will send a letter on your behalf. In Struggle, Lauren Melodia, Organizer New York Campaign for Telephone Justice [email protected] tel 212.614.6481
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