US: CALIFORNIA: Today (5/03/08) in Superior Court around twenty friends and family members of inmates from CSP Solano showed up to show their support in the Gordon vs. CA Department of Corrections (Case #322862) which deals with the subject of bringing back Family Visits to all inmates. Family visits were taken away from inmates with indeterminate life sentences with the possibility of parole and Close Custody prisoners back in 1996. Attorney William Gilg is the representing attorney trying to reverse CDC's actions & get Family Visits reinstated.
The friends and family members of CSP Solano that were there had certain points that they want Judge Ronald Quidachay to hear. Below is a brief of what we are trying to get the judge to notice. While we are not pushing any specific religion or belief we would like to acknowledge the actions of the court itself.
When one comes up to testify they are asked to place their hand on the bible or they are asked to swear to tell the truth "so help you God" prior to speaking. [Religious bondage.]
So one would deduce that God is a very present part of all that goes on in the courtroom. With that being said one would have to acknowledge that Gods rules are also a part of what goes on in the courtroom. [Universe rules.]
God stated in the book of Genesis in chapter two, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make a helper for him" (2:18), God instructs the two that they "shall become one," a permanent part of each other's lives which includes showing mutual respect along with spiritual and emotional intimacy. God further says to the woman, "Your desire shall be for your husband." (2:16b). [We're social beings.]
It has already been acknowledged that the word of God and reverence for his word is expected in the courtroom. [Religious bondage slaves.] So we, the parents, children and spouses of inmates, are asking that God's [Universe] word be respected and God's [Nature] will be done in this case.
We would further like to include that the California Department of Corrections spends more time and effort to promote homosexuality than it does strong family bonds.
According to an article that appeared in the Sacramento Bee in December 2002, surveys have been conducted and the suggestion of condoms being administered in prisons was brought up. So the subject of condoms gets more attention than bringing together a family for a visit.
Masturbating a totally personal act that is usually done in private. Should an officer happen to "catch" an inmate in the process of relieving some pressure why should this be a punishable act?
By taking away nude pictures, family visits, punishing for self gratification and even considering the distribution of condoms sounds more like CDC is trying to turn inmates into wild homosexual animals, not trying to promote family bonds as CDC has often implemented.
Denying the privilege of a family visit takes away the human need for touch. Medical experts say, "Without touch, a baby dies, the human heart aches, and the soul withers."
Children need it, wives need it and any inmate trying to hold on to his sanity needs it. Since we can't "touch" in a public forum such as in the visiting room, we would like the private opportunity.What is felt to be most disturbing is some getting family visits and others don't based solely on the sentence as the guideline.
Two men can commit the same crime and depending on the judge and the attorney at the trial, will get two completely different rulings. While both are equally guilty of their crime only one family is denied the privilege of a visit. This is merely a form of discrimination with no statistical proof to prove that during family visits lifers cause more problems than those with other sentences.
Denying some families and allowing others is nothing more than some political way of causing more hardship on the families. It always comes back to the families.
Each attorney will turn is arguments into the judge within the next week and the judge will make a verdict based on this information. As soon as a decision has been made I will post it to this site.
From Deborah Cozart posted 12 May 03
Prison Rates Among Blacks Reach a Peak, Report Finds
An estimated 12 percent of African-American men ages 20 to 34 are in jail or prison, according to a report released yesterday by the Justice Department.
Justices question prison visitation policies
WASHINGTON: In a case that could affect the visitation rights of millions of prisoners, Supreme Court justices on Wednesday struggled with the question of whether inmates have a constitutional right to visits with friends and family.
