Bill Montgomery: Please Protect the Mentally Ill Victims of the MCSO.

I've said my piece on this, and will be dropping off a letter about it to the county attorney this week. I hope others will as well (here's the link to email him)...

---------------------from the PHX New Times-------------

MCSO Detention Officer Involved in Jail Beat Downs Not Charged by County Attorney -- Yet. Case Being Reviewed

By James King, Tue., Dec. 7 2010

The Maricopa County detention officer seen beating two inmates in the psych ward at one of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's jails has not been charged with a crime -- yet, the Maricopa County Superior Court announced this morning.

"Charges against MCSO Detention Officer Kevin Gerster were not filed by County Attorney's office. Preliminary Hearing was scratched and the case will be removed from the HP list unless new charges are filed," court spokeswoman Karen Arra says in an email to New Times.

Gerster was seen on tape stepping on the neck of a fully restrained inmate before punching him four times in the head. In another incident, he's seen punching another inmate as the inmate was fully restrained and laying naked in a jail cell.

In yet another incident, Gerster is believed to have used the jail database to get the address of a former inmate for a friend of his. The former inmate was dating Gerster's friend's estranged wife.

That friend of the deputy's, Dennis McCarty, was arrested shortly after he was given the address for allegedly assaulting his estranged wife -- and the ex-inmate -- with a box-cutter at the ex-inmate's Tempe home, the address to which he got from Gerster.

Jerry Cobb, spokesman for the Maricopa County Attorney's Office tells New Times the announcement from the Superior Court is a bit misleading.

"They make it sound like the case is being dropped," Cobb says. "That's an inaccurate statement."

Cobb says the case is being reviewed by prosecutors who will determine what -- if any -- charges will be filed against Gerster...

follow the link back to the PHX New Times for the rest...

MCSO: Prisoner Civil Rights Complaints.

The guy quoted below (in bold red) about how "seriously" the MCSO takes these assaults on prisoners is presumably Jerry Sheridan, the Chief Custody Officer for the Maricopa County's jails. Let me just remind folks that when the MCSO convened their grand press conference Monday to release the video and announce Gerster's arrest, Sheridan seemed to explain his officers' conduct by saying that the victim of Gerster's first recorded assault (the mentally ill guy strapped down in 4-point restraints who got his jaw broken) "was probably mouthing off."

I don't think that was part of the planned press release - that's just what comes out of those guys naturally whenever they open their mouths. I hope all the MCSO's victims catch that and make a point of putting these administrators - and Arpaio - on their federal civil rights' complaints, since they've created a climate in which "mouthing off" at guards justifies violent retaliation against helpless, mentally disabled prisoners.

If you've been a victim of the MCSO while in their custody, here's the form you need to fill out to make a civil rights complaint, with instructions (here and here are a couple of jailhouse layer guides, too). If you're still in custody, don't let that stop you - the courts will be accommodating. Just make sure that you read the directions carefully and follow them. A lot of otherwise sound cases get thrown out because people don't follow the right format, name the right defendants, or go through the internal grievance process available to them.

Also, below is contact info for the folks at the Department of Justice to contact in support of a CRIPA Investigation (Civil Rights for Institutionalized Persons), if you have evidence of a pattern/practice of abuse/neglect of prisoners in any law enforcement agency's custody. I believe they're already on to Arpaio and his Klan at the jails (at least the ACLU has been working it) - give them more evidence anyway. And please feed them stuff about the state prisons - or email me and I'll send it on its way.

Since these big tough men who are supposed to be defending our constitution and safety will no doubt be whining to the press that the Obama administration is just picking on them because of politics, let local media know why you filed a civil rights complaint or contacted the DOJ, that you're ordinary people from Arizona, not politicians from Washington, and that it's all about them violating human rights and abusing the public trust. If they ever really practiced what they preached, they'd suck it up and take responsibility for their own behavior.

----------------------------

US Department of Justice

Special Litigation Section

Mailing Address

Special Litigation Section
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, PHB
Washington, D.C. 20530
For FEDEX: 601 D Street, NW, Washington, DC 20004

Telephone Number
toll-free at (877) 218-5228

Fax Numbers
(202) 514-0212
(202) 514-6273

Chief

Jonathan M. Smith

And this is the Judge who ordered Arpaio to get it together and clean up the jails. Let him know if he's doing his job or not:

HONORABLE NEIL V. WAKE
United States District Court
Sandra Day O’Connor U.S. Courthouse, Suite 524
401 West Washington Street, SPC 52
Phoenix, AZ 85003
Phone: (602) 322-7640

No more appeals, Arpaio!

http://www.courthousenews.com/2010/10/14/31060.htm

----------------------------------------

Accused Detention Officer Resigns from Job

Fox News Updated: Thursday, 02 Dec 2010, 7:23 PM MST

PHOENIX - The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office said Thursday that detention officer Kevin Gerster resigned on Wednesday following his arrest earlier in the week on aggravated assault charges.

A jail surveillance video shows the former Arizona detention officer stepping on the neck of an inmate who was restrained and bent over a table.

The video shows the inmate, William Hughes, handcuffed behind his back, bent over a table, and surrounded by three officers. Gerster walks up to the men, gets on the table and steps on Hughes' neck.

The video of the assault also shows the officer later punching Hughes in the back of the head four times and kicking him in the leg once. Investigators also said they believe he slammed Hughes' head up against a wall in his jail cell, although there is no video evidence of that.

Sheridan said Hughes did not require medical treatment and didn't have any apparent neck injuries, although he had some bruising and a cut on his forehead, which investigators believe happened in his jail cell.

Gerster posted a $36,000 secured appearance bond Tuesday after he was booked into jail on aggravated assault charges stemming from Hughes' assault and from a June incident, which was uncovered during the recent investigation.

In a June video also released to the media, Gerster is shown punching inmate Michael Flores in the jaw.

Gerster also faces charges of accessing criminal history and one count of computer tampering. The sheriff's office said Gerster looked up the address of an ex-inmate for his friend, whose ex-wife was dating the inmate and who allegedly assaulted the two with a box cutter after getting the address from Gerster.

Another officer, Alan Keesee, who is shown in the November video slamming Hughes' head against the table, was not arrested, but the sheriff's office recommended he also be charged with aggravated assault.

Sheridan said the sheriff's office decided to release the video to the public because he and Sheriff Joe Arpaio "took it very seriously."

"We were upset with the actions of both these officers and we quickly initiated a criminal investigation," he said.

SCOTT Watch: DOJ Needs to CRIPA Mississippi ASAP.

Called the warden's and governor's offices this weekend, then yesterday put together a packet of info to send off to the Department of Justice, requesting a CRIPA (Civil Rights for Institutionalized Persons) investigation complaining about health care, using both Jamie's and a few other documented examples of neglect/extreme indifference to prisoner health and welfare. It seems I did that once already. 

So, here's how to request a CRIPA, as far as I know. The more people who do this and the more sources of information we have about conditions, the more likely it is that the DOJ will follow up and clean house at the MDOC.

Send the Free The Scott Sisters campaign emails with copies of letters you write on Jamie's behalf for their records.

---------------------------------------------------------

Margaret J. Plews Arizona Prison Watch 1809 East Willetta Street Phoenix, AZ  850o6 arizonaprisonwatch@gmail.com  480-580-6807

April 20, 2010

Judy Preston, Chief

US Department of Justice

Special Litigation Section

950 Pennsylvania Ave NW  PHB

Washington, DC 20530

Dear Chief Preston;

Enclosed is some documentation regarding health care in Mississippi’s state prison system. The dramatic change in inmate mortality alone should have alerted your office and triggered an investigation – please don’t delay starting one any longer. The conditions are horrendous, people are dying for lack of adequate medical care, and patients seem to be completely left in the dark about their own illnesses, treatment, prognosis, etc. I believe their civil rights are being violated routinely with grave consequence. The enclosed account of retaliatory behavior on the part of the prison for Mrs. Rasco’s activism troubles me, too. We need you folks in there ASAP or her daughter, Jamie, is going to die before she’s exonerated.

A wealth of additional documentation about the medical services in the CMCF can be found at http://mississippiprisonwatch.blogspot.com , or http://freethescottsisters.blogspot.com . The welfare of Mississippi’s most vulnerable population – their prisoners, including Mrs. Rasco’s girls – is in your hands. Please at least read up on the blogs and see what we’re seeing; I don’t know how you all could not know what’s going on there. I’m getting mail from other women complaining about medical services in that particular facility, too, and expect more within the next couple of weeks. They are resisting their shoddy treatment, and writing and talking about it – there’s no better time than now to go in there…

Please let me know if your office will be following up on this complaint with a CRIPA investigation, or referring it to a more appropriate department for follow-up. Without question, though, we need some kind of federal intervention in Mississippi now. I may be asking for help in Arizona, next, but first things first.

Thank you for your time and attention.

Sincerely,

Margaret J. Plews

Prison Abolitionist