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21 Days of hunger for better food.
By Daniel Martinez
M.A.M. International Livingston, TEXAS — Over 170 Death Row and General Population inmates are on a hunger strike. These people are protesting by means of a hunger strike for better food and treatment from the directors of the TDCJ systems. They are given sack lunches (sandwiches), which are not considered healthy meals. Miguel, is on strike for 21 days, and encourages everyone to please join him for this cause. His family is helping in this strike. He also suggests that you write to the warden in Livingston, TX to ask about Miguel primarily. He also wants you all to ask these questions :
1. Ask about the Miguel's health.
2. What is the Texas Department of Criminal Justice doing to insure that the inmates do not hurt themselves.
3. What is the Department of Criminal Justice doing to meet the inmates demands?
4. What steps is the Department of Criminal Justice doing to correct the situation, and if they are informed of the severity of the situation?
5. Ask any questions you feel are appropriate that are not mentioned here.
This is very important for Miguel's well being. The food they serve there is very unhealthy. Please take the time to help Miguel, remember he is innocent and is suffering something he should not! ....
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Write to Miguel:
Miguel Angel Martinez
Terrell Unit #999026
12002 FM 350 So.
Livingston, TX 77351
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Prison board withdraws proposal to ban some death-row interviews
Associated Press
News Paper Clipping San Antonio, TEXAS — The Texas prison board Friday withdrew from consideration a rule that would ban some media organizations from interviewing death row inmates
The proposal angered First Amendment advocates, drawing complaints from the media, civil rights groups, death-penalty opponents, clergy and attorneys.
More than 1,000 complaints, most from overseas, poured into the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and promted general counsel Carl Reynolds to recommend withdrawing the proposal.
Many complaints were based on confusion, Reynolds said, but others "made sustantive and well-reasoned objections." A "considerably more satisfactory" death-row document is being worked on, he said.
The rule covered all visitation to death-row prisoners and specified which news organizations could conduct interviews. It spelled out a policy that officials said is already being infored that bars television programs devoted to advocacy and such independent productions as The Jerry Springer Show.
In other business, the board approved the agency's fiscal year 2000 budget of 24 billion and signed off on a peay raise for TDCJ executive director Wayne Scott, who has headed the 145,000-inmate system for more than three years.
The 23,000 annual raise brings Scott's salary to $150,000 and was previously approved by the Texas Legislature along with raises for other stat agency chiefs.
Near the end of the board's two-day meeting, a group of about a dozen death-penalty opponents stood and demanded that their complaints be heard about living conditions for death-row inmates.
Board Chairman Allan Polunsky denied them a chance to speak, but promised they could meet with a prison system official afterward.
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Documentary becoming more international.
By Daniel Martinez
M.A.M. International LAREDO, TEXAS — "Laredo and the Law" to become more international. Folke Ryden announced on a letter to Miguel's family.
"We are happy to inform you that "Laredo and the Law" now is sold to France and is going to be broadcasted nationwide." said Elin Agnsater, for Folke Ryden Production AB. in a letter to Miguel's letters which was accompanied by an english version of the documentry.
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Miguel and Folke are seen here in the First Interview done in 1995. Losts of things have happend with this new film. It was a huge success in Sweden.
Photo by Folke Ryden |
The documentary which was first released in Sweden was a huge success. Miguel Angel's website recieved more than 1,000 hits in one day causing major downloading problems. We hope more planse to internationalize this documentary are being made.
In related news. Since the documentary was so successfull in Sweden, a website in Swedish (SVENSKA) has been opened. Thanks to efforts from Alexandra Lind and others who believe in Miguel Angel's innocence. You can visit the swedish website at http://www.miguel.just.nu/
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Changes to Texas Death Row Visitation
Below are proposed changes to DEATH ROW VISITATION, as put forth by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ)
The proposed changes will:
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limit the access of death row prisoners to the media
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take away the right of a condemned inmate to choose the spiritual advisor and clergy person of their choice, and to authorize the TDCJ's Executive Director to assign a clergy person of his choice to a death row prisoner
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give the TDCJ Executive Director direct authority to suspend death row visitation for a period of up to 70 days for "security reasons"
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On Thursday, May 20, and Friday, May 21, 1999, the Texas Board of Criminal Justice is expected to approve the proposed chan ges to Death Row Visitation. After the Board apporves the changes, it will accept WRITTEN COMMENTS from the general public for the next 30 days.
Then, at the Board's September 1999, meeting, the Death Row Visitation changes would go into effect.
It is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT and VERY URGENT that concerned individuals work immediately to stop these proposed changes. Written comments objecting to the changes should be directed to:
Carl Reynolds
General Counsel
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
P.O. Box 13084
Austin, Texas 78711
(fax: 512-475-3251)
Be brief and specific. Specific objections to the proposed changes are:
1. PROPOSED CHANGE 152.53(b)(1) is ambiguous, discriminatory and arbitrary. It attempts to re-define "news media" to exclude any television news program and/or channel and/or print media publication TDCJ believes might run a story unfavorable to TDCJ. Limiting the definition of "news media" to exclude those media entities which TDCJ feels might be critical of TDCJ and/or its policies, its history, its employees, and/or its management, violates both the spirit and the rule of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.
This proposed rule is so ambiguous and arbitrary, it could be cited to exclude respected news programs such as 20/20, Dateline, Prime Time Live, 48 Hours, and 60 Minutes - all of which have run programs investigating prison brutality, abusive guards, and/or the wrongfully convicted.
TDCJ's proposed rule is a weak attempt to control the way TDCJ is portrayed by the media and control the way death row inmates are portrayed to the public. If TDCJ can deny media entities access to death row inmates by deeming the entity as one "devoted primarily to advocacy purposes or to a particu lar point of view," then TDCJ can ensure that only negative media portrayals of death row inmates are released to the public at large.
There is no legitimate basis for this Rule. This Rule is a mean-spirited attempt to limit death row prisoners' access to those few media entities opposed to capital punishment, sym pathetic to the wrongfully convicted, or interested in ex posing abusive guards.
2. PROPOSED CHANGE 152.53(g) will deny death row in mates the right to choose their clergy individual. Instead, under this proposed rule, TDCJ would select the clergy in dividual for the death row inmate.
Under this Rule, TDCJ can deny minister visits from any legitimate clergy person not affiliated with TDCJ, on the grounds that TDCJ has already assigned a clergy individual to a death row inmate.
Selecting a spiritual advisor and/or clergy individual is an extremely personal choice.
If this proposed change is implemented, in all likelihood the current clergy individual/spiritual advisor will be refused access to the death row inmate and the death row inmate will instead be assigned a clergy individual/spiritual advisor of TDCJ's choice. There is no legitimate basis for this Rule.
There is no legitimate security interest for this Rule.
This Rule is a mean-spirited attempt to limit the access of a death row inmate to the clergy individual of the inmate's choice.
3. PROPOSED CHANGE 152.53(h) is a VERY DANGEROUS PRO POSITION.
The Board of Criminal Justice wants to give the Executive Director authority to suspend death row visitation (for security reasons) for up to 70 days, subject to Board ratifi cation at the next regularly scheduled Board meeting. (The Board meets every 4 months.)
UNDER THIS RULE, the Executive Director could repeatedly authorize suspension of death row visitation, for "security reasons." This rule is completely unnecessary.
As it stands now, TDCJ Wardens, Regional Directors, and the Executive Director himself have the authority to suspend visitation "for security reasons." The only reason for this proposed rule is to give TDCJ a tool to effectively terminate DEATH ROW VISITATION in its entirety, just as it has TERMINA TED THE WORK PROGRAM MANDATED BY THE RUIZ COURT DECISION.
The "temporary suspension" of the work program is in its 6th month -- with no end in sight. What will stop TDCJ from issuing continual (consecutive) 70-day suspensions for so- called security reasons, thereby effectively TERMINATING DEATH ROW VISITATION, as TDCJ has TERMINATED THE WORK PRO GRAM?
REMINDER: IT IS URGENT TO ACT NOW. Concerned individuals have only 30 days, until June 20, 199, to contact TDCJ with public comments OPPOSING AND OBJECTING TO THE PROPOSED CHANGES.
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Furthermore, if you have any complaints/comments about the Ellis Unit, death row conditions, abusive guards, lack of privacy when conducting attorney-client visits, mailroom problems, or any other issue related to death row, please put your complaint in writing and forward it to me at:
Rick Halperin
121 Clements Hall
SMU-AI
Dallas, Texas 75275
I will be happy to pass it along to the appropriate group(s) working to eliminate such happenings.
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