Working to Maintain and Improve Living Conditions for Death Row in Florida

In memory of Newton Slawson

Executed by the State of Florida
May 16, 2003

Death Row appeals office closing

WEST PALM BEACH -- Twice in two years, defense attorney Linda McDermott helped win inmates a walk off Death Row. Days within one client's release in January, though, McDermott's state-paid position got a death sentence: Gov. Jeb Bush proposed shutting down state offices specializing in Death Row appeals. Last week came the lethal injection -- legislators agreeing to close one of the offices, hobbling a defense system nationally revered and replicated. "They were embarrassing the government, so they put a stop to it," said Juan Melendez, one of the inmates McDermott helped to free after almost 18 years on Death Row. "It's a terrible blow. I know those (lawyers) would save some more people's lives." McDermott is a staff attorney at the Capital Collateral Regional Counsel, an office paid by the state to defend Death Row inmates in their post-conviction appeals. The CCRC, as it's known, has three offices around the state, including McDermott's office in Tallahassee, the only one ordered closed last week. Offices in Fort Lauderdale and Tampa may be next. Bush pitched his plan to eliminate the agency as a way to cut costs and speed appeals. The CCRC has an annual budget of about $9.3 million and Bush hopes to save a reported $3.7 million annually, $1.4 million for the Tallahassee office alone. Also, the appellate process is stretching from 15 years to 20 years after an inmate has been convicted, said Bush spokes-woman Alia Faraj.

"Death sentences should be resolved in a reasonable amount of time. And 20 years is not reasonable," she said. The CCRC employs about 50 lawyers whose sole purpose is Death Row appeals. If those attorneys are overloaded or there are conflicts, cases are filtered to a state-run registry of private attorneys. Faraj said the governor believes that Death Row inmates will receive more competent and prompt attention from registry attorneys. "They will be better served," she said.

Negron seeks to improve program

Lawyers, judges and legislative evaluators disagree. They cite errors made by the private attorneys unfamiliar with death penalty litigation, the lousy pay that leads them to do a minimum of work and the effective job done by CCRC. Death penalty opponents are reminded of the dramatic questions raised lately, including Illinois Gov. George Ryan halting all executions there. And Florida has more constitutional challenges to the death penalty than any other state, resulting in 25 death sentences reversed in the past 30 years. To no avail. Rep. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, supported privatization and handing the cases over to private attorneys. "We started with the premise that private counsel is superior to public counsel," Negron said. "I think if you ask the average Joe, would you rather have a private or public attorney, they'd rather have a private one." But attorneys who work in post-conviction Death Row appeals -- considered the most complex area of criminal law -- say that's way off base. "It's like asking someone having a heart attack whether they'd like a heart specialist or a pediatrician," said Mark Olive, a principal architect of the state-run CCRC offices. Olive, along with Palm Beach County Assistant Public Defender Steve Malone, set up the first CCRC office in Tallahassee in 1985. It became a national model, replicated in California and Tennessee. Now it's a victim of its own success, he said. According to Negron, the passed legislation keeps the CCRC offices in Fort Lauderdale and Tampa open for at least three years. Then the legislature will evaluate the efficacy of closing the Tallahassee office. "In fairness to CCRC, they've made significant improvement in the cases being processed in a more efficient manner," Negron said. "It's not my intent to dismantle the process, but to enhance and improve it." One major improvement should be paying the private registry attorneys more money to take the Death Row appeals, according to one lawyer. Attorney Jo Ann B. Kotzen of West Palm Beach currently represents a Death Row inmate. She is one of three local attorneys listed on the registry, along with Gordon S. Richstone of West Palm Beach and Robert Udell of Stuart, Nathaniel Brazill's trial attorney. Closing CCRC offices could mean an increase in cases for them, but Kotzen still thinks it's a "tragedy." "The CCR attorneys are very devoted and committed," Kotzen said. "I think that if the state is determined to put these prisoners to death they should be just as committed to making sure they have good representation. They won't be able to ensure that if they dismantle CCR." Private attorneys like Kotzen make $100 an hour working the registry cases and cannot collect more than $85,000 total in state cases. For cases that take thousands of hours of research -- reviewing transcripts, contacting witnesses, ordering tests -- over years, it's not near enough, Kotzen says. For CCRC attorneys, it was all in a day's work, included in their salary. Their salaries range from $40,000 to more than $100,000, said Roger Maas, head of the Capital Commission which oversees the private registry attorneys. Maas said despite the registry's pay rates, it still attracts experienced private attorneys, who average 21 years of experience. Former Death Row inmate Melendez said, though, in his case, he preferred a CCRC lawyer throughout.

(Personal opinions of our guest columnists do not necessarily reflect the opinions of FDRAG or its members.)

News From the Inside

Hey all. Another month has passed, and a lot has happened that affects us all one way or the other. The CCCR cut on the budget was decided on, and as you all might know by now, it was the Tallahassee part of the CCRC that was amputated. The CCRC-N. That is as crazy an act as amputating legs because they run to good. --Article in the newsletter elsewhere.

The hearing about the pen pal issue is over but with no decision yet. A resume is to be found on another page along with an article about the Arizona ruling, also regarding prisoners and pen pals.

Of course we also went to the suicide/killing of Newton Slawson. Which was a scandal --and so cruel to all involved. The killing was stayed for a few hours - at the most -- while they supposedly conducted an evaluation, and concluded that Newton Slawson was sane enough to be killed. The stay was announced at 5.50 and before 7.00 they announced that the killing would take place the next morning at 7.00. So much for an evaluation of a mind and soul. Newton is most definitely in a better place now that he has been for many years.

We have a little bit of news about the heat lawsuit. This message was received from the Florida Justice Institute when we asked about the outcome, and if the rumor was correct that it was denied:

"Yes. Judge Nimmons issued a 39 page order denying relief in late March. It was not unexpected. It is on appeal to the11th Circuit, so it is not over."

Things are working well in the group. We get plenty of letters, and want you to know that all letters with questions, or things that calls for an answer, will be answered. If you do not receive an answer to a question it is mail handling going wrong, and not from this end. Also please be kind enough to let us know if you have asked to get the newsletter but still don't receive it. There have been incidences where things have been mailed from here but never reached their destination. Thanks to those of you who brought that to our attention.- in fact. Thanks to those of you who have been helpful since we started. With submissions, advice and contributions to the web page etc…it is greatly appreciated

The information package for your friends and family is going from here in a steady stream. It seems to be working and working well. The transition package for the newcomers is getting closer to be done. If any of you have suggestions to what we should include, please let us know. You all know better than anyone what you needed to know when you first arrived, but was never told. (John from FSP- thanks for all your help)

As the editor (one of them) of this newsletter I am about to take advantage of this privilege big time. May 29th of this year I have been born again in my spirit and been in love with my wonderful husband for 5 years. SO…

If anyone now thinks this calls for a page with birthday and anniversary wishes - we totally agree. So we will do that.--- if we get requests!!!…..

That is all from here. Take care. Stay strong and count your blessings. They are there if you look for them….

God bless, Hannah

Western Union Fund Transfer

We understand that there has been some concern this week after you received a memo making it seem that shortly funds could no longer be sent to the Inmate Trust Fund in Tallahassee via Western Union. Friends and relatives from both the US and around the world use this service on a regular basis so we were all concerned as much as yourselves at what seemed to be a new rule proposal to disallow that. To clarify the situation, one of our members e-mailed the Service Center to find out if this was true and be coming into effect in the near future. We received the following response to let us know that there had been some sort of misinterpretation, and that Western Union can indeed still be used to send money to an inmate account as usual:

"Not true, inmates can still receive funds using Western Union. I believe what had happened is we have submitted a modified rule for the inmate trust fund. In the modified rule we included language concerning sending funds using Western Union. However our legal department advised us not to include Western Union language in the rule but instead add it to our Procedure Directives. Bottom line is you can still send funds using Western Union".

The Killing of Newton Slawson and More Reports From the Road

Sarah, Juan and I had left Tallahassee on Thursday afternoon, heading toward the prison after holding a press conference and visiting Florida politicians in the State Capitol building. Sarah drove while Johnny and I slept. We were the first to arrive at the prison, soon to be followed by about 20 other abolitionists from Starke, Jacksonville, Gainesville, and Winter haven. . As we gathered in the "Opponents" corral, a sheriff's deputy called Bonnie over and told her that we shouldn't make so much noise as last time, as it disturbs the prisoners in the prison immediately adjacent to where we were standing. Hmmm... This after checking with the prison officials prior to the last extermination (Amos King), and deciding that making noise would be a staple feature of all future extermination protests.

Bonnie started the program by telling people of the request from the police and suggesting that we are each free to do as our conscience dictates. She began with a call and response reading, with everyone responding with "Don't Kill In My Name!" Juan was asked to speak, and then Linda McCray. Linda was telling us about her husband, who had been on death row but had his sentence changed. She was describing all of the things he is able to do to help repay society for his crime. I missed most of what she said, because as she was speaking, here comes the media - looking all excited! I knew something was up, because it was before 6pm, and here was Ron Word of the Associated Press, Phil Long of the Miami Herald, and others who usually witness the killings for the media. Phil told me there was a stay to do a competency exam and asked for a comment. I told him to stand by, waited for Linda to finish. Bonnie apologized to Linda for our talking while she was speaking, and then introduced me. I held up the sign I was holding (Murder In Progress!) and dropped it saying, "The good news is that we won't be needing this tonight." I can't recall all that I said, but it was brief, and it was pointed. AND, miracle of miracles, at least one reporter actually saw fit to give it space.

The Gainesville Sun reported:"[...]"The announcement of the temporary stay was met with mixed reactions from a group of about 20 people who gathered across the street from the prison to protest the death penalty. "Abe Bonowitz, director of Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, said, "Let's remember that the doctors that they use for these mental competency examinations have yet to find anyone incompetent to be executed. Of course, if these people were not facing execution, if it were not in the interest of the state to execute them, then the orders would be: This person needs medication and hospitalization. Instead, we're going through the procedures to give the appearance of appropriate behavior." "Bonowitz also called Slawson's pending execution "assisted suicide." "

And so, we packed it up and went to eat in Starke with Hannah and Linda of the Florida Death Row Advocacy Group ( http://www.fdrag.org ). Of course, I was later to learn that even as we were driving out of the prison, it had just been announced to the reporters still gathered there that the competency exam had been completed and the killing was re-scheduled for 7am the next morning. This is striking, as some reports have suggested that the official report of the competency exam was not completed until midnight. It's all such a sham....

Friday morning……

This time there were just five of us at the prison - Sarah, Johnny, myself, Hannah, and JoJo, also with FDRAG. We held no formal program, but we did make a little noise. Before 7.30 it was over.

We packed up the banner and signs and walked over to the media tent, where prison spokesman Sterling Ivey was already giving his "Time of Death" speech. Johnny and I each made statements, . Then, as usually, as the victim's families arrive, the media bolts to the parking to besiege them.

This is getting too long and there is much to do. BRIEFLY, the rest of the trip so far was spent as follows:

Friday at 12:30, after a bit of rest while Sarah typed up our statements to the media, we spoke to the 7th and 8th grade students at St.Patrick's school in Gainesville -. After that, we hit the road back up to Starke, where we hung out with the ladies from FDRAG and where Johnny was interviewed by a Danish film crew doing a documentary about European women who advocate for death row prisoners. Also, Juan's attorneys Marty and Gail arrived to spend some time with Johnny.... It was a nice and relaxing time.

Yours in the struggle-----Paz--------Abe

BBQ with FDRAG ladies. Pictures by Abe…
Jojo, Hannah, Allesandra and Tanja, & film crew.	Marty McClain , Gail and Johnny, (Juan Melendez) & film crew

News From the Outside

Public Hearing Hosted by: Florida DOC Date: Wednesday, May 21, 2003

A Public hearing was held to discuss FDOC's recent proposal, which would further limit the ability of inmates of Florida Prisons to reach out to the community by denying them the right to solicit or place ads for pen pals. Further this proposal would eliminate inmates from entering any contest or competition (i.e. poetry or art competitions or any kind of sweepstakes). The proposal excludes the FL Lottery, which is already prohibited to this population. In addition to the panel of 4 DOC members (running the hearing) and the court reporter, all 13 of the additional attendees of this hearing were not in favor of passing this proposal. There was a strong showing by the public & an impressive cross-section of the community in attendance. Among those represented were: public agencies; (ACLU and the FL Public Defenders Office) as well as several faith-based groups (Quakers, Catholic Church, Catholics Against the Death Penalty, Kindred Spirits) to name a few; finally there were also two attendees that were just involved citizens that wanted to be heard. When the DOC panel was asked what the purpose was for this new proposal and to whose benefit it would be, Mr. Upchurch replied: "To protect the safety of the public, and to cut down on the amount of mail that the DOC is required to scan." They were then asked if there was any evidence to back the DOC claims that there have been complaints and threats made via phone to the DOC from individuals who have allegedly been swindled by inmates of FL institutions. There was no written record of these calls, and further there were no DOC employees present who have fielded any of these calls. Furthermore, none of the victims or persons making complaining calls to DOC felt strongly enough to attend this hearing and argue the necessity for the public to be protected from inmate pen pals. All of the arguments presented by the attendees for why this proposal is a waste of everyone's time and money were most compelling. Although there were a great many discrepancies and concerns that were discussed, these are most of the major points:

1. It has been tried in other states and had to be revoked.
2. It goes against the first amendment, and other constitutional guarantees.
3. It would be nearly impossible to enforce, (No way to prove that a solicitation was actually initiated by an inmate or whether someone else initiated it on their behalf).
4. It is not the DOC's scope of work to regulate or control the flow of mail in and out of the institution, only to sort and scan it.
5. This is precisely the sort of DOC proposal that reflects why the DOC is often seen as excessively punitive (bad PR for DOC). There seems to be no real evidence to show the need for this, and it will potentially punish ALL inmates for the indiscretions of a few. Those few can be dealt with on an individual basis more easily and effectively without the rule (as they are in violation of inmate rules if they are found extorting anyway).
6. It will be a very costly venture for the DOC to defend this proposal in the court system (The ACLU has already shown interest in continuing to contest this proposal if DOC persists.)
7. There is enough proof via study and testimonials to show that inmate behavior is better when they have outside contact and also that the recidivism rate goes down.
8. For many inmates, old acquaintances & friends drop off and they need to make new connections the longer they are inside.
9. Some inmates discover that many of their old relationships are not healthy and how can they establish any new healthy ties to the community if this proposal is approved?

Everything seemed to go very smoothly, and I believe we gave them a lot to think about. It was apparent to us all that there were no satisfactory answers provided that day by the panel, and although they appeared quite thoughtful, were more than a tad unprepared to respond to the public's inquiries. It also seemed obvious that if the DOC were to pursue this avenue, they would at least have to change and clarify the wording of the proposal a great deal before presenting it again. They would also need to do some research on their own agency statutes and come up with some better refined and concrete answers to satisfy the public. I left feeling better than when I went in.
(A friend who attended)

Judge blocks inmate Internet law

A federal judge ruled that a state law forbidding Arizona inmates from appearing on Web sites is unconstitutional, saying the law has no legitimate prison management function. U.S. District Judge Earl Carroll had issued a preliminary injunction in December blocking the Arizona Department of Corrections from enforcing the law. But on Thursday, he permanently barred its enforcement. "It's a law that was clearly unconstitutional, where Arizona was reaching way outside the state," trying to regulate what was posted on Web sites in other states and even other countries, said David Fathi, a staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union's National Prison Project. The ACLU filed the lawsuit on behalf of the Canadian Coalition Against the Death Penalty.The statute, passed by the Legislature in 2000, made it a misdemeanor for an inmate to communicate with Internet service providers and to send letters to Web sites or to third parties who then forwarded them to Web sites or published them for the inmate. When corrections officials found out about Web sites with inmate information posted on them, they told the inmate to get the information taken down. If it wasn't removed, inmates were subject to disciplinary detention, extra duty and loss of phone privileges. "When you don't have many freedoms left, this is serious punishment," Fathi said. The Department of Corrections already bars direct inmate access to the Internet. But prison officials had argued that the state law prevented fraud and precluded inappropriate contact with the public. Carroll said existing regulations and statutes already do those things. The 2000 law is "not rationally related to legitimate penological objectives and are therefore unconstitutional," he said in his ruling. Gary Phelps, Corrections Department chief of staff, said the law was designed to protect victims. Arizona has a law against inmates contacting victims or their survivors, and the 2000 law was designed to be an enhancement. It was largely the result of lobbying by Stardust Johnson, the widow of a University of Arizona music professor who was murdered after leaving a church recital. She was outraged when she came across a Web site her husband's killer used to solicit pen pals. Phelps, who had not seen Carroll's ruling Friday, said he did not know whether the Department of Corrections would appeal.

Britta´s Poetry Corner

Exhibition in Hamburg, Germany

Hello friends,

Since I started the request for the exhibition I got a lot of responses. I´m proud, that unknown people would have so much trust in me - an unknown person too. I got poems and it shows how different everyone deals with their feelings about the situation you have to handle inside. My hope is, that the people who are coming to the exhibition should feel the fear and the sadness through all the things which you made. And I got paintings which are so powerful. These all are signs, that you inside have hope to stay strong and that you fight the fight. I hope that this exhibition is taken as a sign from us to you that we on the outside fight the fight with you and that your hope is not lost. So what ever you think would be good for the exhibition, please let me know. In these days I´m working on a little poem book with all the poems I got. Maybe with your help, we have to make two or three or four of these books. I believe all of this is the beginning and not the end. Please notice, that the date has changed. The new date for this exhibition is now Feb. 22 until March 21, 2004, which is a good time due to the Easter Holidays, and so I believe a lot of people would come to the church. Many thanks to all who are by my side working on this great project.
Britta




Pieces
by Sharon Heath

I´ve heard it said that prison
can break a man.
It must be true because I´ve fallen in love
with pieces of you
From behind the walls you arrive in fragments
cards and letters
Your thoughts now on paper
days later phone calls and pictures
Your voice-disconnected
from the warmth of your smile
a complete man some assembly required
Outside the walls I collect the pieces
Arranging them, holding them in place
with my imagination while I wait for you
to become whole again



"Help Wanted"

Hope verses uncertainty,
Contesting the days of our lives;
Witless conflicts such as unity verses individuality,
Prolongs helping souls being barbarously penalized.
If there is one to help me,
Then be enthused to sharpen your tools;
For untrain soldier's can not be,
Amidst the warrior's who refuse to lose.
If there is one to take a stand,
Then don't underestimate the enemy
The authoritative power controlling hand,
Have schemeful mentalities extending to infinity.
If there is one to make a difference,
Then bring knowledge with your feelings;
You mustn't battle with emotional ignorance,
Against intellectual's supporting legal killings.
If you want to see changes made,
Then unite as a single flame;
Unification speaks words unsaid,
Especially amongst player's in the political game.
© Anthony Mungin - May 9th, 2003



END OF TIME
(by Dexter Jackson, shared by Kay Lee)

I'm just a number in this Florida State Pen,
I've plead for forgiveness, but can't outrun my sins.
And I don't correspond with my family too much,
Doing all this time has left me out of touch.
I feel like an outcast cause my family's been torn...
Sometimes at night I lay and curse the day I was born.
Still yet ... there's so much good in me ...
Unfortunately, there's no one around who cares to see.
My tears are all dried up so there's no more crying,
All I feel now is pity for these prisoners who around me are dying.
Is there a Heaven for us convicts after death?
We too believe in God and need a place to rest.
I know life isn't all sunshine, sometimes it must rain,
I try to stay optimistic though I'm filled with great pain.
And if I could tell the world anything at all...
My only wish is to give the world a glimpse of the real me
And present my talents to the whole of society.
So please, judge me by my character, not by my crime
Because my crime will be forgiven at the End of Time!

Joachim´s Art Corner

In the last art corner we met Jane Morris, the beloved of Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Now we meet his wife Elisabeth Siddal. She was born in London in 1829. She was working as a milliner and a dressmaker.

Elisabeth Siddal (Self-Portrait (1853-54)

Then she was a model for William Holman Hunt and John Everett Millais, two of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. Her exhibition debut was in 1857 with drawings on literary subjects and the self-portrait above. In 1852, she studied informally with Rossetti, and in 1860 she married him. After the marriage she continued in working on romantic-medival watercolours. She also assisted in decorating of the Red House by William Morris. In 1861 she gave birth to a stillborn baby. After that she suffered from depressions, and she became addicted to opiate. In 1862 Elisabeth Siddal committed suicide with an overdose of laudanum.

Outside Witness to an Execution

I have been asked to write something to share with people my feelings about the last execution. It was my first time being there, so close, and I have been told that my impressions may help others to know what it feels like. Yet I don't know what to say. I have thought about it for days and find myself at a loss not only of words, but of feelings that I can´t understand. There were only a few people there all of whom oppose the execution penalty. The side of the lawn reserved for people who see this as justice was empty. Why? We watched the building, we waited, we tried to understand what it means in terms of our humanity, in terms of giving "closure" to the victim's family. It seemed so unreal, so hollow, so void of anything that in any way could be helpful to anyone. Who wins from that? Who finds peace and closure? Who sees it as right and just? It was, and still is, a time that is hard to process. The fact that someone died, that a person was murdered by ritual, and that someone said to that last victim of a vicious cycle "May God forgive you for what you have done."… before killing him…what can one say? What are the right feelings? Maybe just these words…May God forgive all those who were a part of this, and all those who will stand before God on their day of judgment and find themselves trying to explain it as the right thing to do, as justice. I do not know what to say.
Jojo

Friday morning after 7.00Am Waiting for the witness buss to leave, so we know it is over. "Father forgive them for they know not…..

Abe Bonowitz, Juan Melendez, bonnie Flassig , film crew Thursday evening 5.50 PM

Hannah and Lynne's Spiritual Corner

Within each of us, is a spark of Light, which connects us to our Creator. This "corner", is not about religion or conversion. It is about each of us...our humanity... how we each at times, lose our direction and personal power, and how we may find them again. Our purpose for this segment is to encourage empowerment, discernment, hope, Oneness and the integration of spirituality into daily life, regardless of the name by which we call the One in the darkest nights of our souls. We welcome both comments and suggestions.

The Primary Sources of Islam

Continued from last month issue… kindly submitted by Richard McCoy, FSP

The Muslim ideal rests on the important Qur'anic concepts of equilibrium, compassion. A life based on these is a balanced one; Islam is a religion of balance, equilibrium, of the middle course. The Islamic virtues are courage, generosity, cleanliness and piety, and in his life the Holy Prophet (Peace be uphon him)) exemplifies them. The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) once said that "all Muslims are equal as the teeth in a comb, there is to be NO lineage or castes in Islam". The emphasizes "the unity of humanity, the brotherhood between Arabs and non-Arabs. An Arab has NO preference over a non-Arab, and likewise. Nor is a white preferred over a black, or a black preferred to a white." Allah says in the Qu´ran:" I have made you brethren one to another, so be not divided.." The Prophets (pbuh) time on earth came to an end and in a short span Muhammad was a father, husband, chief, warrior, friend, and prophet. His respect for learning, tolerance of others, generosity of spirit, concern for the weak, gently piety and desire for a better, cleaner world would constitute the main elements of the Muslim ideal. For the Muslims the life of the Prophet (pbuh) is the triumph of hope over despair, light over darkness. In closing I give you the FOUR CALIPHS and their attributes:

1. Abu Bakr - wise and pious
2. Umar - courageous and just
3. Uthman - gentle and religious
4. Ali - brave and scholarly

The holy prophet Muhammad (pbuh) once said of Ali, "I am the city of knowledge and Ali is its gate.." "As-Salaal Alaikium"

Where Does the Bell Sound Come From?

One day, as the big temple bell was being rung the Buddha asked Ananda, "Where does the bell sound come from?" "The bell." The Buddha said, "The bell? But if there were no bell stick, Ananda hastily corrected himself. "The stick! The stick!" "The stick? If there were no air, how could the sound come here?" "Yes! Of course! It comes from the air!"The Buddha asked, "Air? But unless you have an ear, you cannot hear the bell sound." "Yes! I need an ear to hear it. So it comes from my ear." The Buddha replied, "Your consciousness, how can you understand "My consciousness makes the sound "Your consciousness? So, Ananda how do you hear the bell sound?" "It was created by mind alone."

Questions:

1. Everything is created by mind alone. Correct?
2. If you have no mind, where does the bell sound go?
3. Where does the bell sound come from?

COMMENTARY: True form is with unmoving without thinking Truth is unmoving. Name and form, appearing and disappearing- these things never existed. Time and space are always moving. The world of name is the world of opposites. If you are not thinking there are no opposites. See, hear, smell, speak, act, and think clearly.

Gateless Gate

There is a Broad Path Meditation packet available for the asking from the Gateless Gate Zen Center. It includes instructions and articles on Sufi, Jewish, Christian and Buddhist meditation. The book "We are All Doing Time" by Bo Lozoff is included as a part of the package.

Yours in the Dharma
KC

Gateless Gate Zen Center
20 West University Ave. (Ste 301G)
Gainesville, Florida 32601
Web site: http://gatelessgate.org

Just for Fun

A prisoner receives a letter from his wife: "Dear Husband, I have decided to plant some vegetables in the back garden. When is the best time to plant them?" The prisoner, knowing that the prison guards read all mail, replied in a letter, "Dear wife, don´t start digging the back garden. That´s where I hid the money!"A couple of days later the husband receives a letter from his wife: "You won't believe what happened, some men came with shovels to the house, and dug up all the back garden." The prisoner wrote another letter: "Dear wife, now is the best time to plant the vegetables."

A judge was instructing the jury that a witness was not necessarily to be regarded as untruthful because he changed his statement after he gave it to the police. "For example," he said, "when I entered my chambers today, I was positive that I had my gold watch in my pocket. But then I remembered that I left in on the nightstand in my bedroom." When the judge returned home that evening, his wife asked him "Why so much urgency for your watch? Isn't sending three men to pick it up for you a bit extreme?" "What?" said the judge, "I didn't send anyone for my watch, let alone three people. What did you do?" "I gave it to the first one," said the wife, "he knew exactly where it was."

Caroline’s List of FDRAG Services, Information and Resources

Legal Magazines/Newsletters

As some of you may be aware, the Florida Prisoners’ Legal Aid Organization publishes a small, bi-monthly magazine called Florida Legal Perspective. The cost is $9 for a one year subscription. Copies may be obtained from:
Florida Prison Legal Perspectives
P.O. Box 660-387
Chuluota, Florida 32766
(A public division of Florida Prisoners' Legal Aid Org, Inc)
fax (407)- 568-0200
email: fplp@aol.com
Website www.fplao.org

Legal In USA Newsletter

A small team of British women currently put together a monthly publication called Legal In USA. This is a free newsletter that is now circulated in over 48 States and contains articles on justice, legal rulings and the abolition of the death penalty. At the moment, all their distribution is carried out by a network of volunteers. Several FDRAG members already regularly receive the Legal In USA newsletter. We have a team of volunteers within our group who can mail a copy directly to you each month. To arrange this, please write to our FDRAG Box number at the bottom of this page and we will set up delivery for you as soon as possible. When writing in, please include your cell location – this is solely for the purpose of distribution being aware of the even circulation of the newsletter.

New Information Package

Topics covered in the pack include Welcome with contacts, unwritten rules about visiting, copy of visitation form, copy of visitation rules, direction to the facility & lodging info, how to send money to your loved one + more, rules about books and magazines etc., Mail rules, Innocence projects, Appeal process, useful links and much more. To get the package contact Jolanda, mentioned below.

For convenience and easy shipping, two of our members have also put the info package onto floppy disk and CD-Rom which can be obtained free of charge (although donations of stamps are always welcome) and sent directly to family members. Simply send your request details to either Lynne Baldwin (for disk version) or Jolanda Arends (CD Rom version)
c/o FDRAG
137 N Walnut St
Box 10
Starke, FL 32091.

Other Bits and Pieces

In last month’s edition of the newsletter we printed a list of projects across the US that supply books free of charge to inmates. Due to space limitation within the newsletter it won’t be possible to reprint those address details each edition. However, if you are interested in applying to these projects, FDRAG has produced a print-off sheet with the contact details for you to refer to. You can obtain a copy by writing to us at the FDRAG address at the bottom of the page. Please enclose a SAE or postage if possible.

FDRAG & MEMBERSHIP

This group is created by families and friends of death row inmates in Florida. It is a given that this group is against Capital punishment. It is however, not the purpose for this group to do anti-death penalty work, instead this group concentrates on making the living conditions for death row inmates tolerable. We also commit to work on making changes that will improve the quality of living in that particular environment called Death Row, and to help keeping the standard that already exists. Everyone who is willing to work for basic human rights is welcome. If you are looking for a group who does anti-death penalty work, we suggest you join one of the excellent groups already up and running. For further information please contact a member near you:

USA

Hannah Floyd, (Can be contacted for info on newsletter, membership, visiting, places to stay, transport etc.)
137 N Walnut St, #14
Starke, FL 32091
E-mail: Hannahfloyd@yahoo.com
Tel: 904-964-4303 or 904 964 7303

Janice Figueroa
1120 Wild Oak Terrace
Deland, FL. 32720
E-mail: Tfigu@aol.com
Tel: 386-738-3968

Karin Elsea, (Contact person for the DC/Maryland area)
1400 East West Highway, #710
Silver Spring, MD 20910
E-mail: Karinelsea@hotmail.com
Tel: 301-565-3246

Dianne Abshire
9673 State Rt 65
Ottawa, OH 45875
E-mail: afua@woh.rr.com
Tel: 419-523-5816
(Can also be contacted re: legal matters for the attention of Florida Support Group)

The Netherlands

Jolanda Arends, Treilerstraat 168
NL - 1503 JM Zaandam
E-mail: jolanda-arends@zonnet.nl
Tel: +31-75-616-4862
(FDRAG membership and info pack)