Email from FACDL about corrections

1. Dear
colleagues,
As
many
of
you
may
know,
in
September
and
October
of
this
year
two
inmates
at
the
Franklin
Correctional
Institute
in
Carabelle,
Florida
were
released
in
error
(read:
escaped)
due
to
the
presentation
of
forged
court
orders.
As
a
result,
the
Miami-­‐Dade
Corrections
and
Rehabilitation
Department
has
been
in
the
process
of
reviewing
how
it
accepts
court
orders
affecting
the
release
or
supervision
of
inmates/probationers.
Previously,
attorneys,
bondsmen
and
health
care
facility
reps
(pretty
much
anyone),
could
take
a
signed
order
from
court
to
the
clerk
upstairs,
get
three
certified
copies,
and
deliver
them
to
the
Corrections
office
on
the
6th
floor
of
the
REG
Building.
This
week
corrections
unilaterally
changed
the
procedure
by
requiring
that
all
orders
be
submitted
for
certification
at
the
Clerk's
window
and
be
left
there
for
pick-­‐up
and
processing
by
corrections
personnel
at
an
undetermined
time.
This
immediately
began
to
cause
problems
for
both
private
attorneys
and
APDs/RCAs
attempting
to
secure
the
release
of
their
clients
as
ordered
by
the
Court.
On
Wednesday,
Senior
Supervising
APD
Jennie
Wingad
and
myself
met
with
Chief
Daniel
Junior
from
Corrections,
Janet
Gray
(Court
Services
Bureau
Supervisor
for
Corrections)
and
Assistant
Chief
Cobb
from
the
Clerk's
office,
to
determine
what
should
be
done
to
avoid
security
lapses
while
also
guaranteeing
the
timely
processing
and
release
of
clients.
The
tentative
agreement
for
attorneys
submitting
orders
at
this
time,
is
the
following:
Attorneys
and
only
attorneys,
will
be
able
to
submit
certified
orders
(in
triplicate)
to
the
Corrections
Office
on
the
6th
floor
of
the
REG
building.
Attorneys
will
also
be
required
to
present
ID
and
a
bar
card
in
order
to
submit
orders.
Attorneys
(and
anyone
else)
will
still
be
able
to
leave
orders
with
the
Clerk
on
the
9th
floor
to
be
collected
at
a
later
time
by
corrections
for
non-­‐urgent
matters.
Attorneys
who
need
to
submit
orders
after
hours
will
still
be
required
to
present
certified
orders
to
the
window
at
the
PTDC.
This
may
change
in
the
future
due
to
the
department's
transition
away
from
PTDC,
although
we
will
continue
to
request
it
does
not
as
most
after
hours
are
signed
at
the
REG
Building.
Ms.
Cobb
of
the
Clerk's
Office
has
assured
us
that
the
'in-­‐

2. court'
clerks
will
be
reminded
that
they
must
certify
orders
after
hours
as
instructed
by
the
Court
to
facilitate
releases
and
the
like.
On
a
related
note:
we
continue
to
receive
information
regarding
client's
not
being
released
in
a
timely
manner
and
about
bonds
that
cannot
be
posted
by
clients'
families
and
bondsmen.
This
is
certainly
a
troubling
pattern
that
has
persisted
far
too
long
after
the
transition
from
PTDC
was
supposedly
finalized.
If
you
have
experienced
similar
situations,
please
contact
me
directly
so
that
we
can
compile
the
incoming
director
at
Corrections
and
for
possible
legal
use
in
the
future.
As
always,
If
I
can
be
of
any
service,
please
feel
free
to
contact
me
directly.
Best,
Eddie
Pereira
President
FACDL-­‐Miami