Dear Allies,

Last Wednesday members of our Coalition met with staff to the Erie County Legislature to discuss measures that we feel need to be approached legislatively, not just to stop abuse, but to discourage the climate which promotes it. These included:

1. The creation of a Community Advisory Board to oversee the jails
2. Remuneration of the Commissary Account which funds education and rehabilitation programs
3. Additional medical/mental health staff for the jails
4. Structural projects, such as improved lighting and ventilation in parts of the Holding Center which can become very inhospitable in summer.
5. Assurance that the Eagle St. demolition site will not be used as a County lockup.

Respectively, we came to the following conclusions:
1. The Legislature will review our proposal for a Community Advisory Board as soon as it is complete - our friends in the National Lawyers Guild have been working with us on the legal research behind this initiative, and we expect a draft shortly (perhaps 2 weeks).

2. Thefts from the Commissary account are much more complicated than we had previously believed. Apparently, the County Comptroller has offered the Legislature contradictory accounts in the past of how much money needs to be reimbursed, depending on which pool of money it was taken from (ie phone fees v Commissary sales) and what it was spent on (ie do inmate medical expenses qualify as rehabilitative?). They told us they would be following up with the State Comptroller for an accurate account and interpretation of all expenditures. We'll let you know how it goes.

3. Apparently, in this budget year the Holding Center has added more nursing positions, up to a total of 4 full time. Some preliminary discussions of what might be added in the future took place at this time, but no action was agreed upon.

4. The Captial Budget process was explained and our part in it encouraged to make sure Holding Center projects are high on the list. Apparently, a review board will be meeting shortly to prepare a list of the top 50 or so capital budget projects to take place in the County, after which Chris Collins will review and narrow the list and pass it on the Legislature, which will put them in their final budget. We should know shortly who will be on the initial review board so we can begin lobbying.

5. The County Legislature, thankfully, decided not to award $3M to the Eagle St demolition project until its final use was established - there had been talk of it turning into a Lockup, a type of jail legally released from the requirement to provide basic sanitary items like soap and toothpaste. Using the site as additional medical/mental health facilities to support the Holding Center has been discussed, however, so we are hopeful that the best ideas for prisoner welfare will rise in this case. Updates as they come.

Finally, Nan Haynes has been working with us on our questionnaire to screen people with stories of abuse in the Holding Center to try and get them some volunteer legal representation. We have made available:

1. The final questionnaire, editted by ECPRC. Please use this, if you can and have the opportunity, to collect the testimonies of people in your community who have experienced abuse. We may be able to use these testimonies to get them volunteer legal help.

2. the inmate grievance program;

and 3. the handbook of rules and regulations for the Holding Center which all inmates are required to recieve on intake (the State Attorney General is suing the County for, among other things, not providing this to people).

That's a lot of information, but this most important bit last: See you every Wednesday at 5 outside the Holding Center!

ECPRC
(To receive the documents mentioned above, email eriecountyprisonersrights@googlemail.com)