Merry Christmas

I wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas!  I pray that everyone is healthy and safe this holiday as you visit your loved ones.  Please take care in your travels.  Ladies I suggest that those of you traveling to Morgantown get phone numbers exchanged, as the weather forecast is not favorable for travel.  Be careful, have wonderful visits, and hug your loved ones.  MERRY CHRISTMAS!   

crafts

Just wanted to let everyone know we had a great visit tonight. The kids did crafts with their daddy's. It was wonderful. Three other inmates came up and helped and my kids loved it. They are going to do it tomorrow and I'm assuming they will do it next weekend. Something positive.

Our last weekend!

Well guys I havent been on the blog too much lately...SOooo I am trying to read through to catch up on everything...I hope everyone is doing well.

This is our last weekend at HwH...Chance will be coming home Monday morning...It's been a rough road but we are now moving onto Supervised Release...so hopefully we are hitting the down hill part of everything.

Hopefully I will have more time to hop on here now that my schedule should ease up some and things with the kids will hopefully settle down. If you guys need anything I'm here. And Chance will probably know the answers to a lot of questions that any of you may have.

New Years in Morgantown

Hi my name is Eboni, and I'm new here. I'm planning on going to Morgantown to visit my man for new years. But this is my first visit, and I'm having a little problems getting there. The cost to fly is extremely too high. So I'm going to take the greyhound. But there are no stops in M.Town. So the closest stop would be Wheeling. Any idea how to get to M.Town from Wheeling? Besides a cab, they want $250, way to much. Also any good cheap hotels? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

New Year's weekend in Morgantown

Last year, LeeAnn spearheaded a speaker for the families/ladies who visited during the New Year's visitation last year(earlier this year). Anyone that is going, would you be interested in having a speaker this year? LeeAnn can give more details about who we are thinking of asking, but I need to know as soon as possible who is interested in having a speaker. It is very helpful having us all together in one room talking and sharing our experiences and pooling our resources to get some bills passed that will benefit our loved ones.

Thanks bunches,
(hugs)

New Years

Soooo ladies...I am Stephanie, and you all have seen me with my love Jeremy Blazek (GGRRRRRR!!) he is in Gerard. Anywho, my dear friend Krista and I are going to spend New Years Eve in the big MT. Lets get some ladies together and ring in the New Year properly!! We will be arriving from Indiana around 3 pm on the 31st, then we want to get some ladies rounded up for some cocktails (lets be honest, we ALL could use a drink now and then!!). Let me know who is interested!! We can split the costs and have a great time. Hope to hear from you. xoxoxo

Happy Thanksgiving !!!

Just wanted to tell all of my friends "Happy Thanksgiving"...I hope everyone that is going for a visit has a great time together...Thanksgiving will be Chance's first pass home and he has been in the HwH for 2 1/2 months...He gets to leave from 9:30 - 5:30, kinda doesn't seem fair (I think he should have longer) but it is what it is I guess...we have 19 days of Hwh left so I guess I should be thankful that we have finally made it to the end after nearly 4 yrs of torture. Hope all is well with everyone.
Love,
Melanie

conscallhome.com

Hey everyone just wanted to let you know, Go to the website conscallhome.com and sign up for this. It gives you a local number it will cost you $18 a month (which I am subtracting from the money I send my husband every month). It will cost your inmate 6 cents a minute instead of 20 cents a minute. They will give you a local number and the inmate has to call that number and it goes straight to your home phone or cell phone and it is much cheaper. Just wanted to pass it along.

HR 1529

Click on the Justic System Scales to the left; this is the link to the booklet about HR1529.  Please read it, print it, and share it!

Visiting over the Holidays

So far it looks like 2 out 3 will be visiting, so I would go in expecting it to be crowded. 

My husband is in the hole for breaking up a fight I guess your not supposed to do that does anyone know how long they keep them in their I really need to see him and was planning to visit thanksgiving weekend

COUNTING THE DAYS...

Hello everyone, Im going for a visit over Thanksgiving weekend. Getting so excited and counting the days down. Im so thankful its a four day visit. This will be my first time visiting on Thanksgiving. Anyone else going that weekend? Have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving.

I wanted to know how holiday visits are are I mean are thier alot of people like the weekend visits I went nuts the last visit it was really crowded and noisy and with kids it just makes it worse so I was hopeing the Holiday visits are better since alot of people are usually busy those days but I am not sure if other try to do what I am thinking and take adavantage of them thinking its less croweded and less noise I am sure you guys know what I mean

This weekend...

Well, I just got off the phone with Greg...Three or four more guys have a fever..Byrd unit is locked down until Friday..unless something else comes up. Greg and I decided to cancel visiting this weekend. it is too much of a risk to drive up there and then be turned away in case someone else get's sick....

Visiting this weekend????

I am hoping to stay at the Ramada Inn with the coupon I have for $56.99 plus tax on Saturday night, Novermber 14th (if the coupon doesn't work, I will get the prison rate of $65). Anyone visiting that weekend who wants to share a room? I typically go back to the room and crash since I drive up to Morgantown through the night on Friday night and I am exhausted by the end of visitation at 3pm. It would be nice to split the cost of the room with someone!!!

H1N1

There is a lot of conversation about H1N1 and them being on lockdown.  According to a few members, Byrd unit is the only unit on lockdown for the next 72 hours.  Visitation is still on today, except for the members of Byrd.  If anyone hears about next Wednesday and next weekend please pass that info along as soon as possible.  As everyone knows it is lost on the BoP that some of us travel many hours and need to now these things before we get there. 

Can anyone tell what is the cheapest and closest hotel to the prison I am making plans to go visit and the hotels that my husbands PO gave me are 100 dollars a night on regular days let me know could really use some advice

Thanksgiving Weekend Visits

Hello Everyone!
I hope everyone is hanging in there! I was wondering if anyone knew of the times for visiting during Thanksgiving weekend. I am assuming Thursday 8am-3pm, and the rest of the weekend as normal??? If anyone knows, please post. Also, if anyone is planning on visiting the weekend of the 6th or Thanksgiving weekend, book your hotel rooms NOW! There are football games BOTH weekends and the rooms are filling up fast!
Thanks for the info!
Dana

Hi!

Hello everyone,

Just wanted to update that after my first 2 weeks with Gabe gone, I am doing allright. I know it will get easier for me, but it will always be just as hard...if that makes sense. So far so good though. Luckily I can hold my own financially and we were prepared as much as possible for everythng that could happen. I have talked to him almost everyday and we have been able to write letters and emails. For us this is the downward slope of the process. The end may still be far away, but we will get through this together. I am looking forward to my first visit with Gabe the first weekend of December. Thanks again for all of the wonderful support!
Erica

It is better

Well, now that we are almost a week into this, it is getting better.  Mike's PO came by Monday.  We were sitting on the front porch talking, he did not say a thing, as there is a roof on the front porch, so technically he was under the roof.  We went out back and he said that he would allow mike on the back deck.  He said that if he wanted to work on something he needed to get home in time to get the materials he needed.  For instance while he is looking for employment he has to be back home by 11:30, so he needs to get back at 11 so he can collect what ever he needs and be on the deck by 11:30.  He told us that we will see him a couple of times a month and Mike has to call and check in every Thursday between 8 - 5.  Mike does not have an ankle bracelete, so you guys can read between the lines on how this is working.  Not as bad as we thought.  This should be do able.  But, if I get on here and vent because having him in my house so much is making me nuts, thanks in advance for listening. 

Thought for the Day

We could certainly slow down the aging process if it had to work it's way through the BOP (bunch of p.....) use your imagination.

New to group

Hello I am new to this group.

Moving On

Hey All,

Just updating everyone on my status. Bob is being transferred the middle of November to Taft, California near Bakersfield. It is a 500 man facility with lots of perks, Early Release, 19 months home confinement, 12 month 1/2 wya house is available, they get to work in the community, It is privately owned and operated, which means NO MORE expired food to deal with and they guys actually get real meals with fruits and salads and real meat:) He will be over 2200 miles away from me and over 525 miles from his son in Arizona. He had requested to be sent to Tucson, AZ to be near his son Justin and God Bless the BOP they sent him even farther from him.

So, In a nut shell I will not be coming back to MT for visits. I appreciate all the support I got from my friends I met in MT.

I wish you all the best and say a prayer that Bob's Appeal, which happened last Thursday comes thru. This would reduc his sentence in 1/2. Attorney's were optimistic but there is a very low rate for winning an Appeal.

Thanx for all your support,

Alicia B

Well the BoP strikes again!

Mike was released to home confinement this morning.  He is allowed to go job hunting 7:30 - 11:30 every morning.  He has to work M-F 8-5.  and he can go to chruch 10:00 - 12:00 on Sunday's.  Other than that he can not leave the house, can not mow the grass Ect.  Leave the house means leave the house not even on the porch.  He had more freedom at M'Town.  I will post more later, I am just trying to digest all this.  We have 12 months of this.

Erica and Gabe

Erica made it home safely.  She has not heard from Gabe but expects to in the next couple of days.  She seems to be hanging in there fairly well.  Keep them in your thoughts and prayers. 

New Years Weekend

I know this is early, but I have to plan way ahead on these trips. I am planning on being at Morgantown January 1st-January 3rd as Friday is a holiday and visitation is 8-3 that day. Does anyone want to share a room that weekend? I am not sure if I am going to come up the night before or not. I have not even starting looking at rooms or anything yet. Everything on my end depends on the funds that will be available. Anyone in the NC area that would consider car pooling? I just wanted to get this out here to see what everyone else thought. I will be without our children that weekend as we celebrate NY's as one more year behind us. I don't mind sharing a room if kids are coming. Hope everyone has a great week! (hugs) Any ideas and suggestions will be considered. Thanks!

Hey ladies,

So we are leaving today for Morgantown, West Virginia. My husbands self surrender date is tomorrow. It still seems surreal, being 25 years old and thinking about the next few years of my life as a young married couple and the trials we are about to go through. I am scared yet confident that things will be okay. I will let you all know how things go, when I return on Tuesday.

Thanks again for inviting me into your group, it helps to talk to others who are going through or have been through this.

:)

It's been a long road

We have 5 more days and Mike is released from HWH.  He did not get home this weekend, as there was an issue with his paycheck.  But it is okay since he will be home for good Friday!  It seems like April 08 was a lifetime ago.  I am so glad that I have met all of you.  Mike and I look forward to continuing our friendships.  I hope everyones visits were great this weekend!  Travel home safe.

2 down

It's been a bumpy ride these last 2 months. But We're maing progress here at home. I haven't been around to blog much lately as I've been dealing with a lot of issues with my autistic son. I am having to send him to a new school and I haven't been able to start looking for a job because I've been so busy working on getting him the services he needs. Well, thank the Lord, Thursday we got both his services for home AND found a new school for him. It's still going to be a big adjustment for him, especially since the school is quite a distance away (40 min drive each way), but I think overall he will benefit greatly from it.
I've gotten a lot of support from family recently, even to the point that it was more than I wanted, but I have to accept the help.
My little one is finally sleeping in his own bed.
we've had a lot of bad days, and when we have a good one, we cherish it.
I'm lonely and dealing with a wide array of emotions, but am handling it better these days. Still hard to go to bed with the empty pillow.
We are making the trip down this weekend. probably tonight, depending on the kids and their moods.
Here's wishing you all a wonderful weekend. You are all in my thoughts and prayers.

sue
aka bubba

Commentary by T.K.

As many of you know T.K. is a member of our group.  His son is at Edgfield in SC.  This is a commentary he wrote concerning HR 1529 and how Congress is getting ready to shoot it down once again.  http://www.the-slammer.org/carousel/congress-set-to-dump-second-chance-for-ex-offenders-act  Please go and read this article.  If you agree please forward the link to everyone you know.

Corrlinks $ Info

There's been a lot of confusion, I believe, about the new Corrlinks email system. Here is some general Corrlinks info I just received from Brandon. Hope it helps ...

We, as users, are definitely NOT charged anything. They are charged $1 for 20 minutes of use. So, for example, if your loved one just reads 6 emails they've received and it takes him 10 minutes to do so, he's charged .50. If he takes another 10 minutes to send replies back to people, that's another .50. It's really a fair system...you pay for it when you use it. Plus, it's really inexpensive as compared to using the phone which is .24 a minute.

If anyone has any questions as to how to sign up, I'll be glad to walk you through it.

Mom (Carole)

Posting from your phones

You can now post to the blog from your phones.  Click on mobile posts on the left hand side.  I will leave this at the top so that when you are posting from your phones you do not have to scroll down so far.  Try it out, make sure it works for you.  You will have to sign in on your phone.  I will delete any new posts that are just testing this new button.  Use Test as a title so that I know it is something I can delete.

This weekend

It looks like quite a few of you are visiting for the long weekend.  I hope you all have a great weekend, and GREAT visits!  Drive safe!  I must say that I miss seeing you guys and spending the weekends together.  Not that I want to go back where we were 3 months ago, but I miss my friends. 

Emailing from a phone?

HOW CAN I EMAIL FROM MY PHONE. I AM APPROVED ALREADY.

What facilities have email access?

Not all do as we all know; this is what the offical statement from BoP is. 

Do all BOP facilities have access to TRULINCS?

No, but the list of facilities where it is available is growing, and TRULINCS is expected to be in all BOP facilities by June 2011. Ask your inmate contact about it!

From http://www.bop.gov/inmate_programs/trulincs_faq.jsp#4

They have switched from Trulincs to Corrlinks.  I think that if they had Trulinks they have or will have Corrlinks.  Of course the standard BoP answer to everything is ask your inmate! My answer is Ask your Morgantown Wife, we usually know more.

Hello everyone

Hi!! I am new to this site and want to thank everyone for allowing me to join. My husband is reporting to Morgantown on tuesday so technically I am new to all of this. Anyone have any helpful tips for how to begin this process?? Thanks for all of your support.

Corrlinks and email

Okay! I am the first one to admit I am a fly by the seat of my pants and not pay attention enough to stuff that matters!




I have some friends that Derrik emails that are asking me about the new email system. Are we paying to send him emails? I read the terms and conditions on the email I got today but it "spoke out of both sides". It said we won't be charged then the next paragraph was about putting money in the account. Is this the regular money that I keep in Derrik's account?



What is the charge for emails?



I hope you are all well! I may be making a trip to Morgantown this weekend, not sure yet...just flying by the seat...!

Have a great day!



Kim

H.R. 1529 the "Second Chance for Ex-Offenders Act of 2009

Joel Osteen is hosting a Webcast on Tuesday October 6th - DO YOU KNOW THE DREAM IN YOU!!


The site is allowing people to send their dreams to their website -

http://www.joelosteen.com/LandingPages/Pages/TheDreamInYouWebcast.aspx or www.joelosteen. com & follow the links.



Everyone send in the dream and ask:

"That congress pass this most human and humane legislation, H.R. 1529 the "Second Chance for Ex-Offenders Act of 2009" and allow those who have made mistake a real opportunity to regain their place in society."



Then listen on your computer or laptop on October 6th at 7 PM CST.



Hey,it can't hurt and you just never know what may result. Lee Ann has mentioned many times the need for a public face so if enough participate well....like I said, you just never know.

Our HwH Update

So far things have been going pretty well. Yesterday was 1 week since Chance got to the Hwh. He has not been able to leave there yet. This hwh does not allow them to leave at all for the first 7 days but it is expected that he will be able to leave this weekend for 3-4 hours to get a haircut and go to Walmart ( the only store they can go to while out on an itinerary). They are given an itinerary not a pass, which means he has to go to the exact destination and come directly back. Once he is eligible for passes he will be able to go anywhere as long as he calls to check in periodically. They don't get any passes until they have employment. He has not been able to go out looking for a job yet because the he has 9 classes he has to complete before he can get an itinerary for job search. He has 5 classes done so hopefully the beginning of the week he can begin his job search. We get to visit every evening from 7-9 and he gets 2 visits on the weekend 2-4 and 7-9. I am only 14 miles from the Hwh so it works out perfect.I can bring any kind of clothes or food to him. He can have a small t.v, video games, dvd's, cd's and just about everything else except a laptop and cell phone. There are 8 payphones and they can even get incoming calls. The people there are really good about going to get the others if they have a phone call ( all I have to do is give his last name and room #). This experience so far has been far better than I thought it would be. After 4 years of dealing with the BoP, I never dreamed we would be able to have a some what normal relationship.

Ohhh, and how could I possibly forget. The case manager came out to the house yesterday. We have been approved for Chance to come here on all of his passes. I was so afraid that they wouldn't let him since he is not actually going to reside here ( because of the daycare). BUT the case manager seems awesome. She said " even though he hasn't obtained employment, I don't want to waste time in getting out to your house because I may get busy and then he won't be able to come to your house until I find time to make the home visit." SO that went over great with me, because I want him here as soon as possible. So pray for us that Chance is able to find a job right away, then next will be the apartment search.

I hope and pray that everyone and their loved ones are doing well.

Melanie & Chance

Trial Bound

I got a call from Mike early this morning. He is in transit to Fresno for his upcoming civil trial. I haven't heard from him before this for nearly two weeks. When I talked to him this morning he said he is already in Oklahoma. Now I understand why I haven't been sleeping all that well. He is representing himself in this trial and he is quite nervous about it. (So am I) I am happy that he will be here soon and I can finally see him. We haven't seen each other since 2006. He was designated to USP Lee in Virginia but by the grace of God the Warden has just signed off on his transfer. Now we sit and wait for the BOP to designate him. We are praying for something closer to home. His trial starts on October 20, please keep us in your prayers.

First holiday without my father

Sunday is the Muslim holiday of Eid which we celebrate at the end of Ramadan. This is the first time probably in my life that we have to spend it without my father there. Its the first for my mother in the past 28 or so years. I am not even sure how we are going to "celebrate" it but at least we will have some family, my father on the other hand will not. I know other inmates are like friends and family but he is only been there three weeks. I doubt if others even know there is a holiday.
Holidays always bring such joy but this time all i can feel is a dreadful feeling, like I do not want to go through it. I do not want to think of all the years that my father was with us and that we did not appriciate all that he did for us. Its so true when they say u don't know what you have until you lose it. We take our families, our loved ones for granted, until we can't have them with us anymore. I remember how my father would always complain to me and my brothers about how we don't spend enough time with him and we never understood what he meant, until now. If there is one thing I have gotten out from this whole experience is to appriciate my family, to appriciate them while i have them, to realized that they truely are my friends.
Anyways, how did some of you guys spend the first holiday without your loved one? How did you ignore the anxiety of what they might be going through that day? Knowing the world is going on just like it always was, but they are not there to experience it?

Good luck Mel

I spoke with Mel tonight. She is on her way to M'town to pick up Chance in the morning. She is having some anxiety and exciement. She said she hasn't slept in a week. She said she could not wait to get to the hotel to sleep...she won't be doing much sleeping tonight. Keep them in your thoughts.

Corrlinks

You will get an email anytime from now to 10/09/09 which looks something like below, which will ask you to sign up. The website link is below as well you can check it out. I have also added some pictures, it is just like an email inbox.

This is a system generated message informing you that the above-named person is a federal prisoner who seeks to add you to his/her contact list for exchanging electronic messages. There is no message from the prisoner at this time.You can ACCEPT this prisoner's request or BLOCK this individual or all federal prisoners from contacting you via electronic messaging at http://www.corrlinks.com/.

To register with CorrLinks you must enter the email address that received this notice along with the following identification code: Q2RTV***This identification code will expire in 10 days.By approving electronic correspondence with federal prisoners, you consent to have the Bureau of Prisons staff monitor the content of all electronic messages exchanged.Once you have registered with CorrLinks and approved the prisoner for correspondence, the prisoner will be notified electronically.For additional information related to this program, please visit the http://www.bop.gov/inmate_programs/trulincs_faq.jsp FAQ page.

This is what it looks like when you sign in:

This is what mailbox looks like:

And this is how a new message looks like:

Mikes first pass home

I drove to Raleigh Friday night and picked Mike up to bring him home for the weekend. I left right after I got off work at 4 and we pulled in the driveway at 8:30. He had to be here by 9. He called and told him he had arrived. At 10 they called to verify he was here, and then at 12, 2, and 4. Yes that is in the a.m. Then they did not call again until 10 satuday night. They called again at 12 and then let us sleep until about 9:30 sunday morning. They did not call again for the rest of the day. It was a great weekend! He and the boys worked on the yard all weekend. They played cards last night with dad. Dad and I got to watch the race together. His PO approved him to be released to HC, so we are hoping that sometime this week we will get that notification.

LET's GOooooo Mountaineers!!!!!!!!

Ok all you East Carolina fans........I have to say its a great day to be a Mountaineer!!!!!!!!!!!
LOL!!!!!!!

Other facilities than Morgantown

Thank you Crystal for your information on Bennettsville! Does anyone else have any experience or knowledge about Beckley in WV or Bennettsville, Williamsburg or Edgefiled in SC? Just curious. You can email me off site if you would prefer.

PS>>>>Fall is almost here!!! Yippee!!! almost another year down....

Lesson learned!

I have been telling Mike that everyone before us suggested that we contact his PO when he arrived at HWH. He did not want me to do that. He did not want me to aggrivate him. As I tend to put a chip on my shoulder, and tell them how to do their jobs in my opinion. So Wednesday when we he was told that his release plan had not been approved by his case manager at the HWH, he decided we needed to contact his PO, as he had been at the house last spring for that. So Mike called him yesterday and he had his pass home for the weekend by 5 p.m. yesterday and the paperwork is being processed for his release to HC. He will be home sometime after noon today until 7 p.m. on Sunday. Had we followed everyone's advice on here this would have happened at least a week ago. His PO was just waiting for a phone call.

So my advice to all of you, when someone in this group gives you advice on something that they have already gone through, listen to it, follow it. Even if common sense tells you that normal people will do their jobs, file the paperwork, make the phone calls, I have not met anyone invloved with BoP that uses common sense.

On a lighter side

For those of you that are going to visitation this next weekend, I suggest wearing Purple and Gold. As those are the colors of East Carolina University and they are going to CRUSH the mountianeers on Saturday! You will not be alone in wearing these colors as the purple nation will be well represented in Morgantown this weekend. GO PIRATES!

HWH update

Well we have jumped through each hoop they have given us. Mike not only got a job in Raleigh he also has one here waiting for him. I got the dedicated phone put in. He went to a mental health appointment, he got a paycheck and gave them their cut. Now they said that they have not approved his release plan to live here. They said that will take another 21 days. We only have 37 left. He still has not gotten a pass home for a social visit. The kids have only seen him once since he has been back. We both are wishing that he had stayed in M'town.

Thank You

Thank you to all of you who offerred their support lasr week. We went to visit on Saturday. Hubby was real sick. He said about 150 inmaes have some kind of virus. I was quite upset because they locked the play room and because of that we had to cut our visit short. I just couldn't keep running after the boys.
Deb it was nice to put a face to a name.
This week hasn't gotten much better...I've had so many problems with our autistic son...he's been wreaking havoc at school. I've had to go every day to the school or at least got a phone call. And I had a bit of a fender bender with my car. (It's not THAT bad)
The week got better when I heard from Gary tonight. He hasn't been able to call because he has such a bad cold and his voice doesn't match when he tries to call. I'm trying to keep my head up, and I decided to get some help with my situations here at home. I have an appointment tomorrow and someone is coming to my house on Friday.
I wish you all pleasant dreams and better tomorrows.

sue :)

Thank you

I just wanted to thank everyone for their support on here.I went to visit my friend yesterday after 17 years.Wow it was awkward at first because it had been so long.We have both changed alot on the outside.Inside we are the same kids that we were long ago.I was very worried and nervous at first.I had no idea what to expect and at least with this blog I knew I was not alone.I feel horrible now because I waited so long I dont know why,our relationship was kinda strange.We were the best of friends at times.He never hestitated to tell me when I was wrong or what he thought and I never took what he said personal.I never worried about telling him what I thought.He helped me through my divorce and it was a horrible time.He showed me that not all men were like the one I was divorcing.He was there when I needed him and I feel like I let him down for 17 years.Anyway sorry to use this as a sounding board I guess I just needed to say that.Anyway thank you everyone for the support and help.I hope someday I can do the same for another.
Crystal

Visitation this weekend

So, who is going this weekend to visit. You guys have a drink for me. I kind of miss making the trip up there for the holiday weekend. Have great visits and drive safe.

Our Countdown

Well everyone I swore I was not gonna post a silly countdown like you see on PTO. But here I am counting. 14 DAYS TO GO!!! My mind is going crazy with excitement yet I am so scared all at the same time. Chance has been gone for 3 1/2 years. It is going to be so crazy getting use to each other again. You would think after 6 yrs and a child together I wouldnt be nervous...BUT man I feel soooo nervous, my stomach just gets butterflies and my palms start sweating ( happens every time I get nervous) just thinking about a 4 hour drive alone with him. Also, I am real worried about what he is going to do for work. Hopefully something will come his way pretty soon after he gets here. Seems like everything else will be fine if he can just find a job. The kids have no idea he is coming back to Baltimore so I bet they are going to be so excited when they get to see him here. We are hoping to get to go out to eat together as a family either the day he gets here or the next day. Sorry I'm just rambling on, can't sleep with the way my mind is racing.

one down, 17 to go

well, i made it thru the first month. 17 to go. (or less). thigs have been bearable, until i lost my job this week. with 2 little ones to take care of and a house..it's not going to be easy. trying to keep my head up and looking for another job. I have an interview on tuesday.
I did do something positive this week tho. I contacted someone to get some counseling and support. I will be assigned a caseworker who will help me find resources to deal finacially and otherwise.
My family is kind of far from me and my parents are older and not in good health. I have one sister and an aunt who keep in touch by phone, but i'm feeling pretty alone right now. His family helps with baby sitting, but now that i don't have a job, there is no need for them to babysit. I haven't and am not able to tell my parents about my job loss yet. mom had a stroke a few weeks ago and can't take the stress and dad has so much to worry about as it is.
although at first i thought i was going to blame the hubby for all my misfortune, it turns out i'm actually missing him more and wishing him home. I wanted to go visit this weekend, but until i know his visitor list is in the computer i won't, coz it's just too tough on the boys to sit and wait, so i'm planing a trip to M'gntwn next weekend.
Wishing all of you helath and happiness.

sue

Returning to life after prison

Well I have promised you guys an update. Well, this phase is not as easy as we all invision. I have ran our house for the past 17 months. It is my house. It is ran by my rules. It is run on my schedule. Mike remembers the house he left and the family he left. He left 1st, 4th, and 11th graders. He came home to 3rd and 6th graders, and a young man preparing to leave to serve our country. He was the man of the house, and he will return to that role. It just doesn't happen when they walk out of the facility like we invision. It takes a lot of communication, which is the one skill we developed while he was in Morgantown. You have to be honest with what you are feeling and look at why when he opens the shed and is in shock because it isn't the way he left it. You have to talk about those feelings of his shock and your feelings of his intrusion into what is now your shed. When he asks why is my drill moved, that's not where I left it? It's okay that you needed to repair something and used his tools. But just like we feel that he is intruding on our space; he feels that we did not respect his space while he was gone. He was the man of the house. I can't wait till he returns to that role 100 percent. It does not happen just because he pulls in the driveway. It is going to take a lot of work and strong communication by all of us. With love, faith, and support of friends and family it will happen.

Corrlinks

www.corrlinks.com

CorrLinks is a way for family and friends to communicate with their loved ones incarcerated in prison. Established through a relationship between a corrections agency and ATG, this system allows family and friends to subscribe to the CorrLinks services and send money or email messages to the institution.
When the corrections agency subscribes to CorrLinks' two-way mail service, the inmate receives the message on a computer within the prison. They are able to read, print and respond to messages electronically. All messages are delivered to the sending family/friends via Internet email. The inmates do not receive access to the Internet.
When the corrections agency subscribes to CorrLinks' one-way mail service, the institution prints and delivers the messages via internal mail services. The sending family member does not need to write/print or mail the message and wait for USPS deliery.
Certain agencies also allow inmates to receive money electronically. CorrLinks makes this possible by providing friends and family with access to Western Union's vast network of agents and website, enabling them to send money quickly and easily to the institution. In most cases, money is deposited from CorrLinks to the institution within 24 hours.

First time visitor

I am going to visit a friend in a couple of weeks.I am unsure what to expect.Any suggestions? He is in williamsburg FCI in South Carolina.What are the visiting rooms like? What do you have to go through to get in? How early should I be there? Any help is appreciated

HW House

My son was recently released from MT to a HW house. As usual the BOP threw us a curve ball and sent him to the next state over from us instead of MA where we live, but it is only 1/2 hr drive. The HW house is extremely restrictive. They are basically not allowed to leave except to look for work or go to their counseling sessions. They are assigned chores, but for instance when his chore was to take out the trash, he had to wait for a staff member to watch him walk out to the trash can. They are not allowed cell phones or internet access. They are required to look for a job, but the only way to do that is through the "help wanted" ads in the paper, or go through the yellow pages in the phone book and call to see if a place is hiring. They have to use the house payphone to make their calls. They have to take the bus to the interview. The HW house first calls to verify that the place is hiring, and then calls again to see if the inmate went to the interview. If you do get a job, you cannot leave the job site and the HW house calls twice a day to see if you are there. Prior to going to M'town, my son was working at the family business which has been in business for over 50 years, but the BOP said he could not work for family, so he could not go back to that job. Once you do get a job, 25% of your pay goes to the HW house, even if you are released to home confinement. The visiting hours are 2 hrs on Sat and 2 hrs on Sun with only 5 approved visitors allowed on your list. The list cannot be amended for 90 days, and every visitor is contacted by the HW house to verify their address, phone number and relationship. There is virtually nothing to do there except watch TV or read. They are allowed one hour of "recreation" from 7-8PM at which time they can go outside and stand in the driveway or shoot hoops through a basket that has no net. They are "counted" every TWO hours during the day, and have to go to their rooms and stand in the doorway until they are counted. During the night, a staff member comes into their rooms with a flashlight every hour to make sure they are in bed. There is an intercom system for announcements, and the staff can also tune into the rooms to eavesdrop on the inmates. We were so anticipating his release to the HW house, but this part of his sentence seems to be the worst. Well, as usual we are living "one day at a time" and trying to concentrate on the good instead of dwelling on the bad, since we are that much closer to the end of this life trial. As more news becomes available, I will post.

New Link

I have started a new blog. It is where I am going to post FAQs. We seem to answer the same questions over and over as new members arrive. I hope this will help our new members. If anyone can think of questions that need to be answered, let me know. It would be appreicated if you guys would let me know if you have different answers. I am in no way an expert, and have not had every experience there is to have. Click on FAQ's on the left and it will take you to the new page.

Writing Regional

We are willing to write regional when something doesn't go our way, or they violate policy. I was talking with Melanie on the way home tonight and she was telling me that Shaw was in rare form today. She said that poor Hillberry was his gopher all day, my words not hers. I don't how the rest of you feel but Hillberry is a very good guy. I don't think he gets the recognition he deserves. I think he also protects us and the guys as much as possible from Shaw. Kim O. share the address to regional, I know you have it, so those of you that want to can write and say something good for a change, I think he deserves it.

Advice Needed!!

Here's the deal, I submitted my visiting form over a month ago and still have not heard anything. Yesterday I called to the institution to find out what was going on, well lets just say that the the lady I spoke with was no help at all. She said that Mike needs to get with his counselor to see if its been approved or not. We have already tried that, all that his counselor said was that he would get to it when he could. This is a little frustrating, I am in California and he is in Virginia. I am trying to plan a trip to Virginia but its impossible to do without an answer on my visiting form. I called once before and was able to leave a message for his counselor, but of course I never received a call back. I have considered calling the warden but I don't want to ruffle any feathers and make Mikes stay there anymore difficult then it has to be. He should be up for transfer to an FCI within the next couple of months. If approved he will be one step closer to home. Does anyone have any recommendations? Please help if you do. Thanks and god bless.

Stacey

humor

ok, so i listened to the advise i got....didn't take anything in, but got there early enough so we didn't have to wait too long. arrived at 4:45 tonight, got called back around 5:20. thats when the FUN began. they still don't have his visitor's list on the computer (3 weeks) so we waited, and waited. finally around 6:00 they called me over to the guard's desk and told me that it's his own fault that his group counselor or whatever didn't put it in. He said he did what he was supposed to. (I know my hubby and its quite possible he didn't) I had been so excited to go, but the wait there with 2 feisty kids changed my mood, probably not so much as the guard telling me repeatedly that I needed to tell hubby it was his own fault.

We waited in the play room.
My son dropped his bottle of orange pop, so i opened it for him. I thought it was fine, but it ended up overflowing and all the orange pop (soda) went right down on my pants at the crotch and i looked like i wet myself.

The door said that children must be with an adult, but there were a nice handfull of kids and I was the only adult. So I let that bother me too. There was one child who wanted to call all the shots, who was allowed to play what, etc. The other ones were actually being real good. But I let that one little one get to me..LOL .

She asked my son "what did YOUR dad do?" when he told her he had taken some money from a company he worked for, she gasped. The other little girl (who i absolutely loved) said..."well some people do that"....the first one
proceeded to tell him and the other kids that her dad didn't do anything bad, he just hung around some guys who did drugs. then she said...what are drugs anyway? LOL. it was interesting to hear the kid's responses. (she was maybe 6). my son told her drugs are like cigarettes, and another girl agreed. then she told him that isnt true coz her mom smokes cigarettes and my son told them I did too. they all looked at me and asked me if cigarettes were a drug. UGGG. Didn't know I was going to be giving a class about that!!! i just explained that cigs are legal but yes drugs were sort of like that. didn't want to get into too much detail.

He finally came out at 6:30, but we had to leave about 7:20 because he had to go get his meds and the med line ends at 7:30 or something. I was just so agrivated by that point the visit seemed in vain.

now...the funniest part. He has a disability...bad hands due to a special kind of arthritis. No, thats not the funy part. The funy part is that they finally gave him a paying job. He is the official DUCK Chaser!!!! They gave him a paddle/oar and its his job to chase the ducks away from the building entrances in his unit.

so not quite the perfect visit i had in mind. I'm trying to find some humor in it. The way I figure, I can laugh about it or cry. Trying to keep laughing.

by the way, after I got home, I washed the orange soda off of me :)

here's hoping the rest of you get a better visit than I did today.

Sue

Introduction

Just thought I would say hello. Glad to see I'm not alone in this. My hubby, Gary, just went to Morgantown on July 30. His sentence is 18 mos. He tells me that he will get 90 days off of that plus spend the last 70 days in a HWH real close to home.
I'm having trouble adjusting to life as a somewhat single parent. Dependant on his family, now as mine is so far away. Over the past few years our relationship with his family had becomed strained, and now I NEED them to help with the kids so I can keep the house, etc.
He has a 17 yr old son who lives with my in-laws, and we have an 8 yr old and a 3 yr old together.
My mom and my mother-in-law both keep telling me and him that he shouldn't be calling home, because it's wasting money. They don't know how important these calls are to both him and me. I'm having a rough time, since no one here really understands how I feel. I'm looking forward to getting to know the group and wish you all love and patience.

Sue

best email in the world!

I got this this afternoon!

Inmate 50802056 - DELMONTE, MICHAEL J no longer has access to the Trust Fund Limited Inmate Computer System; therefore, he/she may not send or receive messages.El preso 50802056 - DELMONTE, MICHAEL J ya no tiene acceso al sistema de computadora limitada de presos del fondo fiduciario; por lo tanto, el/ella no puede enviar o recibir mensajes.

Doves

Yes my Doves are almost touching. This is very bitter sweet for me. I am beyond excited and cannot wait to pick mike up. But I also know that this is my last trip to M'town and my communication with you guys will be reduced to phone, email, and blog. I could not have gotten through this without all of you at one point or another.

Kim H.

You did for me and set the example on what I needed to do for others. What got this whole group started was Kim talking with me one night for two or three hours in April 08. She is the one who explained visitation in great detail. Met me in M'town for my first visit. Met my family with open arms and made an unbearable situation bearable.


I have made great friends, friends that I hope I will have for many years to come. If any of you make a trip to the coast of NC, you better contact me!!!! If you look at map of NC I live on the second river from the top. I love to go to the outer banks, so if that is your destination for vacation let me know. I hope to see each of you in the future. I am from Lansing, MI and Mike is from Buffalo, NY so we make trips north also. The next time we are headed north I will let you guys know.

Civil Trial

My loved one was shot by the Modesto Police Department the night he was arrested. He has filed a civil suit against them. His trial date is set to begin on October 20, 2009. If he wins this trial it could make a huge impact on his current sentence of 30 years. Please keep us in your prayers. I will keep everyone posted. Thank you and God Bless.

LeeAnn

LeeAnn,
Your doves will be kissing in less than 45 hours...I am soooo happy for you, Mike and the kids...You have done so much for all of us...This situation drove me totally insane, I had no idea how I would survive another day through this. Then I met you...You have been such a great friend and just wonderful all together...Although I wish I never had to live through the mess, I am very thankful that I have I had the honor of having you along my side as we traveled this crazy roller coaster together...I wish the best for your family...Looking forward to us working together to help our men get their lives back.
Love,
Melanie

September 7

Has anyone noticed that WVU has a home football game Labor Day weekend? Hotels are going to be at a premium. If anyone finds a good deal pass it along.

Angel Project

Mike told me that they are having the guys sign-up for the angel project. The angel project is a project done by churches local to us, the families. The guys fill out a form with our address, children and ages and the churches make sure that our children get gifts from Dad at Christmas. I am not sure if all facilities participate, but it is worth asking. At M'town they need to ask their counselor.

HWH

Tina called me last night and she gave some tips. I will try to remember everything she shared. Their phone and email accounts are turned off around 1:00 the day before they are released. So there was no way for John to know that she had arrived safely in Morgantown the night before. They gave them an extra hour longer than mapquest said it would take to get there. She said that they told them that pickup was between 7:30 and 8:00. They do not walk them out to the guard shack until 8:00. They drove straight there with very short quick stops and got there with 10 minutes to spare. The guys are not allowed to drive. Once there, they allowed him to leave at 5:00 for a "hygiene pass". They had to return with a receipt from a local store dated that day. They were allowed to grab something to eat. They were not suppose to go to a private residence or establishment that had alcohol. They were not allowed to bring food or alcohol back. It takes two weeks for orientation and home confinement paperwork at the fastest. It takes five days to get cleared for driving privliages. They have to approve the place of employment. Visitation hours at their facility are 9-11 a.m. on Saturday and 1-3 on Sunday. They can ask for passes to dinner or lunch on the weekends. Cell phones and laptops are not allowed. The phones are pay phones. It costs $1.00 for ten minutes for a local call. They can not receive phone calls. The food is better.

As we each go through this step of the process if we share our experiences we will be able to determine what is standard and what is unique to each facility.

Big Month

Well August is full of mile stones for our group.

Ms. Barbara and D.R.
You are in my thoughts and prayers as Monday approaches. All the guys that have gone ahead of you say that once sentancing is over a huge weight is lifted off your shoulders. I pray this is true for you. Please let us know how it goes.

Tina
Tuesday you get to bring your beloved John to HWH. Enjoy your drive together, and let us know how HWH works. You are the first ones to experience it. We all know that each one is different, but as the stories come in we will be able to figure out what is the same HWH to HWH.

Me and Mike,
I get to pick up mike on the 18th, two weeks after John and Tina. I will keep you all updated.

Zonir,
Your Dad reports the 25th. It will be fine, feel free to call. Ask any questions you have, we will be glad to answer them. We all had the same questions.

Mel and Chance,
You guys reach 30 days left this month. It seems that the calendar stops moving this last month. But at the same time it is over before you know it.

While each of us reaches our milestones and the others watch, it puts each of closer to the end of the sentances we are serving. None of us are serving a life sentance, we all have a release date. As we all know this is a situation that will effect all of us for the rest of our lives until HR 1529 Second Chance Act of 2009 expungement for non-violent first time ex-offenders is passed. Please call, write, and email your represntatives about this legislation. Just as you would regional or the warden about liquid soap, toys in the toy room, meals, showers, visitation regulations, heat or air in the units, coats, the vending machines, and the list goes on and on. If you would complain about those things that will only effect you and your family for the short term, why not something that will effect you for the rest of your lives?

links

I wanted to let everyone know that I have changed the format of the website and blog list on the left side of the page. They are all now true links. If anyone has any sites that you think would help the group send me the link and I will be glad to post it to the list.

Toll booths in West Virginia

FYI:

In a couple of weeks (on August 1), the tolls on the West Virginia Turnpike will go from $1.25 per car per plaza to $2.00 per car per plaza.....I got this information from http://stormhighway.com/blog/downtowncam.shtml . I also read it at http://www.dailymail.com/News/statenews/200907120270.

Visitation Regulation rumors answered

While I was there this weekend I got some answers to some common rumors.
Rumor
Friday visits are only a half point - False - all visits cost one point
Federal Holidays don't count - False - All visits cost one point
Inmates can't have visitors the first weekend - False - as long as the visitor in on the approved list they can visit.
Inmates can't have visitors the last weekend - False - Even if they are leaving on Monday morning they can have visitors on Sunday.

Football Season

WVU is getting ready to start the Fall session. Move in day for the students is August 21. I have posted the home football schedule. Rooms that are available those weekends tend to cost 2 to 3 times more than usual. Last year move in weekend was the same as a football weekend as far as the hotel's were concerned.

Thanks again

Would just like to say thank you to all for the gift of your friendship and support. Hope those who are visiting this week-end have a wonderful time with your loved ones.

July 17 - 19

We are arriving Friday evening and will be staying at the Ramada Inn. Some of us are going to get together for dinner following visitation Friday. Should we decide now so that we are all on the same page, and some of us don't drive to PA for dinner? Also how about dinner Saturday. We all gotta eat and I like adult company personally.

Ramada Inn in Morgantown West Virginia

The Ramada Inn in Morgantown WV is booked July 24th-25th. They had a paper posted at the front desk. Just an FYI:

PS...Loving the first visit with my husband.....Drama as always when a certain Lt. is working....

Heads up

I wanted to pass along some information that we just found out. It is one of those things that till you know to look for it, it could get by you. apprently when mike did his medical intake in 08 they put someone elses information in his records. They had him as having an ilegal drug and alcohol issue. He did not see it until he got his medical report at this final team meeting. He would not have known till he got to HWH and they made him do rehab out here. He just happened to read the papers they gave him copies of. It took him two weeks and persistence to get it corrected as they were not going to admit that they had made a mistake. Luckily his PO before he went in and the judge put in the sentancing report that he did not have a drug or alcohol problem. Make sure your guys read all the paperwork they give them before they are released. Once they are released it is part of their permenat record. I am sure that once you aren't there to get something like that corrected, it wouldn't happen.

Awesome women of morgantown wives

I want to thank Leanne and Melanie for there calls today I really needed that. I finally did talk to john today and hearing his voice and that he is ok made a world of difference. Well I figure everyday when I go to bed it's one day closer to john coming home and I am about to finish day 2. Thanks again to all of the morgantown wives for there support you are angels :)

Thanks for the Support

Thanks to Leeann staying on top of things and worrying about us all & Melanie's husband Chance I was able to find out that my husband Ed is in Randolph and doing fine. I truly do not know what I would be doing right now without the support! Yesterday was the hardest day of my life!

God Bless & Hugs to all!
Leslie

Whoops forgot to add he is going to morgantown, WV.

new to this blog :)

Hello everyone, I am new to this blog and am thankful for the invite and support. My husband self surenders on thursday the 2nd. My name is Cindy Keys and my husband John has been emailing with a couple of people from here. We have 2 kids 8 and 6. He was sentenced to 20 months. I am feeling scared and overwhelmed about all that is happening. Thanks.

HR 1529 update

For those of you who have not yet joined our Group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/support_of_hr1529/, I thought that you might be interested in what is going on and what we are up against.
One of our group, Jaime Woodard of We Deserve Our Lives Back, made a visit to Congressman Rangel’s New York office Monday, 06-22. Jaime reported that he pretty much got a cold shoulder/canned response from the person he talked with. He was informed that the person he needed to see was not available. Not to be deterred, Jaime made a second visit to the Congressman’s office yesterday.
The following is the result of that visit.
I went back to Rangel’s office in Harlem. (Tues 06-24) The welcome was warmer today from the receptionist but again the person I needed to speak to was not there. I gave her a copy of our petition signers and talked about the bill 's failure to pass and that no one was lobbying for it. I must say that the young lady, Renee Jones, that I spoke with at 163 West 125th Street, picked right up on the fact that the bill had no co-sponsors this time around. She assured me that someone would get back to me and I assured her that the more than 1000 people who have signed our petitions are ready to make this bill law. I also went to the National Action Network, which is in Harlem also. My welcome was a lot warmer I was allowed to leave information and spoke to the manager who said that Rev.Al Sharpton, President of the Network, was also working on getting the bill passed. I will give someone until Friday to respond then I'm going back to NY to do it again. Now that I know where their offices are I can and will frequent them.
Thanks to Jaime for taking this on. If there are any of you that are close enough to visit Congressman Rangel’s office I am sure Jaime would appreciate the support. A letter or e-mail or two to Rev. Sharpton offering encouragement couldn’t hurt either. http://www.nationalactionnetwork.net/
We are over 300 strong now on this petition alone and there are others that share our mission to pass this bill. Together we can win.
Thanks to all,
Thomas K

The next couple of weeks

Please keep Ed and Leslie in you prayers as he reports on Thursday. Have the guys keep their eyes open for him so we can let her know he is okay. Keep D. R. and his family in your prayers as he will be sentanced on the 6th. If there is anything else coming up that I have missed please feel free to add it.

Western union

I have noticed that the Promo code for Western Union Doo66 is no longer working. Does anyone have a new one? Thanks!

Kim R.

HR1529 update

I just wanted to let you guys know what has been going on. Apparently, Rep. Rangel has not done his part. It appears that he did not send out requests to his fellow representatives asking for their support or sponsorship of this bill. It also appears that he did not follow protocol in allowing the chair of the judicaiary committee to sponsor or co-sponsor a bill that was to go before that committee. The impression is that this bill has been written and introduced so that in future campaigns it can be said that he tried. The support group is asking that we expose this non-action on the part of Rep Rangel. They are working on some press releases, videos, letter writing campaigns, ect. The time for action is NOW! Folowing are the members of judiciary committee and thier fax numbers. This legislation is now in their hands. Please fax them exposing this injustice and supporting HR1529.

Contact every member (every day) of the House Judiciary Committee : John Conyers 202-225-5126, fax: 202-225-0072* Tammy Baldwin 202-225-2906, fax: 202-225-6942* Howard Berman 202-225-4695, fax: 202-225-3196 * Rick Boucher fax: 202-225-0442* Jason Chaffetz fax: 202-225-5629 * Howard Coble fax: 202-225-8611* Steve Cohen fax: 202-225-5663* Bill Delahunt fax: 202-225-5658 * Charles Gonzalez, fax: 202-225-1915* Luis Gutierrez, fax: 202-225-7810* Henry "Hank" Johnson fax: 202-226-0691* Sheila Jackson Lee fax: 202-225-3317* Dan Maffei fax: 202-225-4042* Jerrold Nadler fax: 202-225-6923* Linda Sanchez, fax: 202-226-1012* Adam B. Schiff fax: 202-225-5828* Bobby Scott fax:202-225-8354* F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. fax: (202) 225-3190* Brad Sherman fax: 202-225-5879 * Debbie Wasserman Schultz fax: 202-226-2052* Maxine Waters fax: 202-225-7854* Melvin L. Watt fax: 202-25-1512* Anthony D. Weiner fax: 202-226-7253

Hey everyone,

Football season is coming up soon. Book your rooms in advance or you may nt get a place to stay. It is hard to get the discounts on rooms during the football season. Just an FYI

Alicia

HR 1529

I want to invite you to join in and help move this bill forward. The new site can be found by going to Yahoo, click on groups and type in Support of HR1529 or you may use this link http://groups.yahoo.com/group/support_of_hr1529/ Once you reach the site simply click on the “Join This Group” button and follow the instructions. Once you sign up you will be accepted as a member of the group.

We plan for this site to be a place to develop and implement action items such as a “National Call In Day”,” Rally’s”, “Videos” “Newspaper Articles” and more. Our intent is to be completely dedicated to this one issue rather than being a general discussion group. There are plenty of those around and most of us participate in and will continue to participate those such as Washington Watch, PTO and Change.Org which are all excellent sites, to name a few. We will continue full support of our petitions on the “We Deserve Our Lives Back”, change.org, and, the newest one at, Petition2Congress web sites. If you have not signed them please do so.

Prayers answered...

Okay you all..thank you so much for all the well wishing and thoughts....This weekend...Greg's youngest daughter got to see him for the first time in over a year...and the mother came with us....The mother thanked me for making it a great visit for them both and told me that she trusted me with Zoe!! Yippee!!!!!!!

Thank you all!!! Hugs and love....

HR 1529

Tommy is working on getting a central site for all of to get on the same page with all this. There are at least half a dozen groups that are trying to get support for this. We need to unite. If anyone has any ideas, please pass them along.

Visitation

Great visit over the weekend. Very hot. Very busy on Saturday and Sunday. On Monday there was a young girl using a cell phone in the bathroom. A lady told the CO and all he did was take the cell phone and let them continue to visit. What is up with that?? Had it been us we would have gotten bounced out so fast. There is no uniformity with visitation at MT. Good thing Shaw wasn't there. They have changed the rules so you now have to sign out when you leave.

A suggestion was made to write letters to the warden about the air conditioning. It was awful this weekend.

Any thoughts??

Alicia

Memorial Day Weekend

Kim H, her children, myself and my children will be staying at Springhill Suites. We are planning on cooking out Saturday night. Any one who will be there that night is welcome to join us. My number is on the roster. Give me a call or send me an email for specifics. It is always fun when we get together on Sat afternoon/evening after visitation.

going to Morgantown This Weekend

Anyone going to be in MT this weekend. I will be there Saturday and Sunday.

Alicia

Food At M'Town

This email was on Fedcure this morning. Does anyone have any info? Mike avoids the chow hall, so I have no info to pass along on this one. Kylee is new to our group and I have not received permission to add her to our group email list or blog.


From Kylee to Fedcure:
My husband has e-mailed stating that they are rationing the food at Morgantown drastically. Is there a reason for this? He said that the portions are so small that it wouldn't satisfy a small child. Is this legal, and can we do anything about this?

HR 1529

Now that Richard is on board, let's find someone else to help too. There is strength in numbers! I was watching the Today show yesterday and Donald Trump was on promoting the Apprentice. They also asked him about the fiasco with Miss. California. They made the statement that he is a strong believer in second chances. Which made me think, maybe? Does anyone have time to get me a contact email or address to write to for him?

Father's Day weekend

Is everyone still staying at Spring Hill...I haven't made my reservation yet and just wondering what everyone else is dong?

Happy Mother's Day

I just wanted to say Mother's Day to all! I hope everyone has a nice day.

change.org

Here is another site to sign a petition for HR 1529. http://criminaljustice.change.org/actions/view/a_second_chance_for_first_time_non-violent_federal_offenders

It will also send a letter for you to your congressmen and senators.

Child Support in Federal Prison

I was wondering if anyone knew about when child support is ordered when your loved one is in prison. My husband has a child from a previous marriage and a recent court date child support was ordered. My hubby was told that she will only get $25 every 3 months or quarterly but the court here has to petition the prison for it and all. Any information is great. Thank you.

I wanted everyone to check out this site and help us support Senator Webb and his bill to help our guys!

April 23rd, 2009 7:14 pm ET
People can take action to support Sen. Webb’s important bill at http://www.DrugWarDebate.com

It only takes a second and if enough people support this we can make a difference!

Kim R.

Looking for Insight

Hey everybody. How are you all doing?

Let me introduce myself. I am Leah, my husband SS on 4/16/09 to Morgantown....So far, all's well there and here in NJ....I DO have a question...Can anybody tell me the benefit of using Magic Jack for the phone calls from the guys?

Steve mentioned it too me, but I just don't understand. If I have it, how does it work on my cell phone? Thats where he calls, so that I know I can talk, and he wont waste his minutes with an answering machine. ALso, we have cable phones, so we aren't charged long distance. Does this make sense? OR are al the call from the prison the same price?

This is obviously new to me, so any help or advice would be great.

Thanks and hope everybody had a nice weekend.

Here in Morgantown

Hello everyone. It was a great visit today in Morgantown although it was HOT@ It was crowed as people keep coming and coming and coming..right up to 2pm.
I will say, everytime I go to the ladies bathroom and soap comes out of the soap dispenser, I say out loud...Thank you Sam and Kim (because we all know that behind every good man is a GREAT woman!) Hope everyone is having a great weekend..(HUGS)

Second Chance for Ex-offenders act of 2009 (expungement) has been introduced

Second Chance for Ex-Offenders Act of 2009 (Introduced in House)
HR 1529 IH
111th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1529
To permit expungement of records of certain nonviolent criminal offenses.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 16, 2009
Mr. RANGEL introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
A BILL
To permit expungement of records of certain nonviolent criminal offenses.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the `Second Chance for Ex-Offenders Act of 2009'.
SEC. 2. EXPUNGEMENT OF CRIMINAL RECORDS FOR CERTAIN NONVIOLENT OFFENDERS.
(a) In General- Chapter 229 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by inserting after subchapter C the following new subchapter:
`SUBCHAPTER D--EXPUNGEMENT
`Sec.
`3631. Expungement of certain criminal records in limited circumstances.
`3632. Requirements for expungement.
`3633. Procedure for expungement.
`3634. Effect of expungement.
`3635. Reversal of expunged records.
`3636. Unsealing of records.
`Sec. 3631. Expungement of certain criminal records in limited circumstances
`(a) In General- Any individual convicted of an nonviolent offense who fulfills the requirements of section 3632 may file a petition under this subchapter to expunge the record of such conviction.
`(b) Definition of Nonviolent Offense- In this subchapter, the term `nonviolent offense' means a misdemeanor or felony offense against the United States that does not have as an element of the offense the use of a weapon or violence and which did not actually involve violence in its commission.
`Sec. 3632. Requirements for expungement
`No individual shall be eligible for expungement under this subchapter unless, before filing a petition under this subchapter, such individual--
`(1) has never been convicted of a violent offense (including an offense under State law that would be a violent offense if it were Federal) and has never been convicted of a nonviolent offense other than the one for which expungement is sought;
`(2) has fulfilled all requirements of the sentence of the court in which conviction was obtained, including completion of any term of imprisonment or period of probation, meeting all conditions of a supervised release, and paying all fines;
`(3) has remained free from dependency on or abuse of alcohol or a controlled substance a minimum of 1 year and has been rehabilitated, to the satisfaction of the court referred to in section 3633(b), if so required by the terms of a supervised release;
`(4) has obtained a high school diploma or completed a high school equivalency program; and
`(5) has completed at least one year of community service, as determined by the court referred to in section 3633(b).
`Sec. 3633. Procedure for expungement
`(a) Petition- An individual may file a petition for expungement in the court in which the conviction was obtained. A copy of the petition shall be served by the court upon the United States Attorney for the district in which the conviction sought to be expunged was obtained. Not later than 60 days after receipt of such petition, the United States Attorney may submit written recommendations to the court and notify the petitioner of that recommendation.
`(b) Court-Ordered Expungement- The court, after consideration of evidence submitted by the petitioner in support of the petition and any evidence submitted by the Government in support of objections it may have to granting the petition, shall rule on the petition. In making that ruling the court, after determining whether the petitioner meets the eligibility requirements of this subchapter, shall weigh the interests of the petitioner against the best interests of justice and public safety.
`Sec. 3634. Effect of expungement
`(a) In General- An order granting expungement under this subchapter shall restore the individual concerned, in the contemplation of the law, to the status such individual occupied before the arrest or institution of criminal proceedings for the crime that was the subject of the expungement.
`(b) No Disqualification; Statements- After an order granting expungement of any individual's criminal records under this subchapter, such individual shall not be required to divulge information pertaining to the expunged conviction and the fact that such individual has been convicted of the criminal offense concerned shall not--
`(1) operate as a disqualification of such individual to pursue or engage in any lawful activity, occupation, profession, and
`(2) held under any provision of law guilty of perjury, false answering, or making a false statement by reason of his failure to recite or acknowledge such arrest or institution of criminal proceedings, or results thereof, in response to an inquiry made of him for any purpose.
`(c) Records Expunged or Sealed- Upon order of expungement, all official law enforcement and court records, including all references to such person's arrest for the offense, the institution of criminal proceedings against him, and the results thereof, except publicly available court opinions or briefs on appeal, shall be expunged (in the case of nontangible records) or gathered together and sealed (in the case of tangible records).
`(d) Record of Disposition To Be Retained- A nonpublic record of a disposition or conviction that is the subject of an expungement order shall be retained only by the Department of Justice solely for the purpose of use by the courts in any subsequent adjudication.
`Sec. 3635. Disclosure of expunged records
`(a) Law Enforcement Purposes- The Department of Justice may maintain a nonpublic manual or computerized index of expunged records containing only the name of, and alphanumeric identifiers that relate to, the persons who are the subject of such expunged records, the word `expunged', and the name of the person, agency, office, or department that has custody of the expunged records, and shall not name the offense committed. The index shall be made available only to Federal and State law enforcement personnel who have custody of such expunged records and only for the purposes set forth in subsection (b) of this section.
`(b) Authorized Disclosure- Such records shall be made available to the person accused or to such person's designated agent and shall be made available to--
`(1) any prosecutor, law enforcement agency, or court which has responsibility for criminally investigating, prosecuting, or adjudicating such individual;
`(2) any State or local office or agency with responsibility for the issuance of licenses to possess guns where the accused has made application for such license; or
`(3) any prospective city, State, or Federal employer or agency, involved in investigating and/or prosecuting under criminal or civil statutes including employers of police or peace officers and in relation to an application for employment as an employee of a city, State, or Federal employer or agency involved in investigating or prosecuting under criminal or civil statutes including as a police officer or peace officer, and every person who is an applicant for the position of police officer, peace officer, or any other prospective city, State, or Federal employer or agency, involved in investigating or prosecuting under criminal or civil statutes shall be furnished with a copy of all records obtained under this paragraph and afforded an opportunity to make an explanation thereto.
`(c) Punishment for Improper Disclosure- Any person who knowingly disseminates information relating to an expunged conviction other than the offender shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.
`Sec. 3636. Reversal of expunged records
`The records expunged under this subchapter shall be restored by operation of law as public records and may be used in all court proceedings if the individual whose conviction was expunged is subsequently convicted of any Federal or State offense.'.
(b) Clerical Amendment- The table of subchapters at the beginning of chapter 229 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following item:
3631'.
(c) Effective Date- The amendments made by this Act shall apply to individuals convicted of an offense before, on, or after the date of enactment of this Act.

Denied

Well guys as much as I hoped for Chance to come home in June, I knew this is the answer we would get. He has been denied any extra half way house time. It always seems like you get the worse news when your already having a terrible day. Soooo ladies looks like I will be around for the bachelorette party.

DNA

Does anyone know how long before they go to the hwh they take your DNA sample...I am getting too excited hoping they will give Chance the date in June...They took his DNA today! Just wondering if anyone has heard anything about it.

Who will hire ex-cons?

I just got a call from Jamie W. with we deserves our lives back.com. He has a contact that is having trouble find an employer willing to hire ex-cons. We will all cross this bridge at some point in this journey. We need to work on compiling a list of companies that will hire our loved ones. If anyone is willing to work on this or knows of companies that will hire please let me know.

Setup for another let down

well after nearly 6 months of waiting for Chance's hwh date...we finally got it! his counselor told him he will get between 150-180 days (5-6months hwh)...well wouldn't you know it the counselor procrastinated all this time and yesterday we found out that the counselor only put in for 90 days...and that is exactly what he got...HWH is now Sept 16th...Chance was pissed because the counselor or case manager or whoever did not put in what she was supposed to...so he took his copy of the paper with 150-180 to the warden...wish us luck on that because the warden sent him to someone over all the counselors/case managers and an email was sent to whoever in BOP to modify his hwh time...hopefully he will get more time...but if not, I guess I should just be happy we finally got a date.

Morgantown visit 3-09

Pictures from the March visit and Birthday Party!

What a great time!

Getting Married...

Greg got the word today that we are approved to get married while he is on the inside and he hasn't stopped calling me all day. :) He has already told some of the guys inside. No one will be able to be there (like who is going to witness it?) so that is a little dishearting. The next date available is June 19th at 2pm. They only perform marriages once every three months on a friday at 2pm. We haven't decided on that date yet.

I value the opinions of our group. I know that some will feel I need to wait. But I have done my homework and this is what I want. We would've gotten married before he went in...just ran out of time.

Thank you for letting me share our good news!

H.R. 61 This Act may be cited as the `Federal Prison Bureau Nonviolent Offender Relief Act of 2009'

HOW DID WE MISS THIS ONE?

(a) In General- Section 3624 of title 18, United States Code, is amended--
(1) in subsection (a), by inserting `at the early release date provided in subsection (g), if applicable, or otherwise' after `A prisoner shall be released by the Bureau of Prisons'; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
`(g) Early Release for Certain Nonviolent Offenders- Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Bureau of Prisons, pursuant to a good time policy, shall release from confinement a prisoner who has served one half or more of his term of imprisonment (including any consecutive term or terms of imprisonment) if that prisoner--
`(1) has attained the age of 45 years;
`(2) has never been convicted of a crime of violence; and
`(3) has not engaged in any violation, involving violent conduct, of institutional disciplinary regulations.'.

That is it!!!! Maybe it is too simple to get the attention of FedCure and such groups. It doesn't have any sponsors though. Danny Davis had sponsored it but withdrew on 3/2.

H.R.61 Title: To amend title 18, United States Code, to provide an alternate release date for certain nonviolent offenders, and for other purposes. Sponsor: Rep Jackson-Lee, Sheila [TX-18] (introduced 1/6/2009) Cosponsors (1) Latest Major Action: 2/9/2009 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.

This weekend

Hello everybody, Just wanted to let everyone know I will be in Morgantown Fri-Sun...Priceline is doing $50 rooms for Lakeview Resort again this weekend.

MeLaNiE

Butner Regular

Hi Leslie,
I have been visiting Butner weekly and they know me well. Please email me your phone number, if you are comfortable, and I will call you. My email is defowler@live.com
I look forward to meeting you soon!
Diane Fowler

Hotels near Butner?

Hi Everyone,

Of those of you in the Raleigh area; who knows where to stay near Butner? Leslie who has been in the group for a few months, will be visiting her husband there. After a long road he has finally landed there. They are from Canada and she will be driving down to visit him at the end of the month. This will be their first visit in over a year.

We Must Fix Our Prisions

AWESOME!

Thanks Kim!

Send this article to your U.S. Representatives and U.S. Senators

Senator Webb makes sense!!!!!

http://www.parade.com/news/2009/03/why-we-must-fix-our-prisons.html

The Message project

This is a project that is run by Carolyn LeCroy. They go into facilities and make DVD's for the inmates to send home to their children. If anyone is interested in getting this implented at your facility please contact me.

http://www.themessageproject.org/


An Update from The Messages Project

A lot has happened since recognition in 2008 by CNN and Johnson & Johnson of The Messages Project as an organization that contributes to social problem solving through direct action. This is the first of what will be regular updates directed at supporters and partners in our effort to develop more effective bonds between children and incarcerated parents. With thanks to you, the last four months have been very productive.

Goal: better understanding and problem solving in nurturing the inmate-child bond, and in breaking the intergenerational connections with crime and substance abuse.

The effects of visitation and other forms of communication between children and parents in prison are not much studied or understood. The Messages Project has joined with psychology and sociology faculty and students of the University of Virginia and the College of William and Mary in a structured program to better understand how Messages can be more effective, and used in context with other forms of communication. We think that this work can make a contribution to the field beyond our own efforts.

Goal: extending the methods and goals of The Messages Project to states and communities outside of Virginia.

We are currently responding to initiatives from the states of Missouri and Nebraska to institute Messages projects within their prison systems, and working with a federal women's prison in Texas to institute the first Messages Project within the federal system.

Goal: using Messages as one component of more effective Parenting-from-Prison programs.

Messages is just one of many tools to be used to prompt and reinforce the effectiveness of parent education within the prisons. No matter the length of sentences or geographic distance from home, incarcerated parents can be effective influences in the lives of their children.

Messages projects planned for Missouri and Nebraska will play a pro-active role in Parenting from Prison programs, while we continue to and continue to develop our role in Virginia. Missouri offers an opportunity to expand the influence of Messages outside the prison through their partnerships of community providers organized under their VISTA project. We are investigating more direct programs and services for the children and their caretakers connected directly with expanded in-prison parenting services for the incarcerated parent.


Goal: using attention to The Messages Project to bring wider attention to the problems and solutions for children of incarcerated parents.

Carolyn LeCroy will be speaking to the conventions of the Virginia State Bar Association in April and the American Bar Association in June on the effects of incarceration on children and families

Carolyn will be the keynote speaker, and conduct a workshop, on the effects of incarceration on families and the use of The Messages Project for the convention of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers in August.

Carolyn's work on behalf of incarcerated parents and their children was commended by a resolution of the Virginia General Assembly in its 2009 session, and she will receive the Governor's Volunteerism and Community Service Award from Governor Tim Kaine in April.


Goal: strengthen the structural and financial strength of The Messages Project for continuing development, as above.

We are developing a manual for the project that will offer comprehensive treatment of the goals and methods of Messages as it relates to parenting from prison that will allow us to help the establishment of this work in prisons and among similar organizations nationwide, while retaining our core principles and procedures.

We have received generous grants from the Annenberg and Herb Alpert Foundations. They are being used in multiple ways:

to support the core work of creating videos for inmates and their children,
to assist in planning comprehensive Messages and Parenting from Prison projects with the states of Missouri and Nebraska,
to help us complete The Messages Project Manual,
to help with out of pocket expenses for academic study of Messages effectiveness in context with other forms of communication.

With a clearly defined model for The Messages Project plus a companion Parenting from Prison Program, we are positioning ourselves to request further grant funding that will allow us to greatly expand and partner with many more prisons and inmate parenting programs across the country. In the meantime, we still seek contributions to support out of pocket expenses for our core work of traveling to prisons and helping parents communicate with their children.

Thank you for your attention and support. There are still 1.7 million American children with parents in prison, and work to be done on their behalf while that number increases.

The Saga Continues

THERE is both good news and bad in the Justice Department's decision to move to dismiss all charges against former Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska, who had been convicted on seven felony counts of ethics violations. The good news is that Attorney General Eric Holder has done the right thing, acknowledging that his department's Public Integrity Section, which handles corruption cases, committed egregious misconduct. The bad news is that the broader problem of prosecutorial excess remains unaddressed. The Stevens case did not occur in a vacuum, and it should not be treated as an isolated instance. Take, as examples, just a few recent cases. Last year, the City of New York paid $3.5 million to Shih-Wei Su, who had served nearly 13 years in prison on charges related to a shooting at a pool hall in Queens. Judge Guido Calabresi of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit found that "the prosecution knowingly elicited false testimony from a crucial witness." In the Duke University rape case of 2006, the reputations of several students were destroyed by a county district attorney pursuing political ambitions, and who was later disbarred and convicted of criminal contempt. In 2007, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit took the extraordinary step of ordering the release of a convicted Wisconsin state employee during oral argument; it then reversed her federal conviction, which had been based on the government's overreaching application of the "theft of honest services" corruption statute. She later said that the United States attorney, who had been appointed by President George W. Bush, offered her leniency if she would cooperate in a case against the governor, a Democrat in a tight re-election campaign. In 2005, a veteran New Jersey county prosecutor was driven from office after it was leaked to the press that he was under federal investigation for obstruction of justice. No charges were ever filed. In 2004, a federal judge threw out the convictions of two men accused of being part of a terrorist "sleeper cell" in Detroit after it was discovered that federal prosecutors had deliberately withheld potentially exculpatory evidence from the defense. What's going on here? Equally important, beyond the Stevens case, what can be done? As the examples above show, prosecutorial misconduct takes many forms, from failing to disclose critical evidence to disclosing information illegally to the press to overreaching in the exercise of the prosecutor's discretion. Underlying all of them is a frightening misconception of the role of the prosecutor. That role is not to seek the maximum penalty at every turn, nor to put together an impressive statistical tally of convictions. It is not to use the emotional pain and personal ruin involved on all sides of a criminal case to advance one's own career or personal agenda. Prosecutors do not even share the duty defense lawyers have of providing zealous representation. The prosecutor's only duty is to seek justice. Period. This duty is especially important in an age like ours, when the integrity of the criminal justice process is so frequently called into question. The presumption of innocence vanishes, these days, with the publicity surrounding an accusation. Any criminal defense lawyer has seen firsthand the humiliation and fear experienced by defendants and their families. By contrast, the reputation of the accusing prosecutor rises commensurately, creating an enormous temptation to make the press conference an essential element of the prosecution. Attorney General Holder has a lot on his plate, but I think only terrorism policy is equally important to issues surrounding the integrity of the justice system. His goal should be to restore the imperative that prosecutors seek justice, nothing more. One way to do that would be for Mr. Holder to forbid federal prosecutors to conduct press conferences to announce the filing of charges. The mischief done by statements like "The conduct would make Lincoln roll over in his grave," as issued by the United States attorney in Chicago, Patrick Fitzgerald, in announcing the filing of a criminal complaint against Gov. Rod Blagojevich of Illinois, is almost incalculable. Save the rhetoric for the conviction; a simple press release setting forth the charges and reminding the public of the presumption of innocence will serve the interests of justice. The attorney general could also seek clarity in the federal criminal statutes in order to narrow the potential for abuse of the prosecutor's discretion. The "theft of honest services" statute - created in 1988 to counter a Supreme Court decision that politicians could not be convicted of depriving their constituents of "intangible rights" like good government and honest services - is notoriously vague, and thus prone to prosecutorial overreaching. As Judge Frank Easterbrook of the Seventh Circuit wrote in the Wisconsin case, "The idea that it is a federal crime for any official in state or local government to take account of political considerations when deciding how to spend money is preposterous." The Justice Department should commit to investigating all illegal disclosures of grand jury evidence and instances of courtroom misconduct, and to punish those responsible. Above all, Mr. Holder should promote the idea that the prosecutor's job, understood properly, is an end in itself, not a stepping stone to higher office. The powers to accuse, to arrest and to prosecute are the most fearsome conferred by our society. The abuse of those powers, historically, has been the very definition of tyranny. Accordingly, the attorney general should consider supporting a rule barring prosecutors from seeking higher office for two to five years after their tenure ends. The motives underlying a decision to prosecute may rarely be beyond reproach, but they should always be above politics. John Farmer, a lawyer, was the attorney general of New Jersey from 1999 to 2002.

Why am I not Surprised?

Court overturns hundreds of cases in court scandal
By John Sullivan
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
The Pennsylvania State Supreme Court said it would overturn the convictions of hundreds of juveniles sentenced in the midst of the Luzerne County kickback scheme.Calling it a "first step," the court wielded a little- used proceeding to throw out and expunge the case records of first-time offenders convicted of minor crimes who appeared before Luzerne County Juvenile Court Judge Mark A. Ciavarella Jr. between 2003 and 2008.In a report to the Court, a specially appointed judge, Arthur E. Grim, said his investigation uncovered "routine deprivation of children's constitutional rights to appear before an impartial tribunal and have an opportunity to be heard."Today's ruling, which authorizes Grim to overturn the cases, affects as many as 1,200 juveniles, he said. Their cases will be reviewed individually to determine if they meet the court's conditions.Ciavarella and another former Luzerne County judge, Michael T. Conahan, have pleaded guilty earlier this year to taking $2.6 million in secret payments from the former owner of two juvenile detention centers.The judges admitted that they helped the centers secure a county contract worth millions of dollars. Ciavarella routinely sentenced children to them.Both men have agreed to spend 87 months in prison. They are free on bond while a federal judge considers the plea deal."We are very pleased that the court has issued this order expunging hundreds of cases of juveniles who suffered at the hands of Ciavarella," said Marsha Levick, legal director for the Philadelphia based Juvenile Law Center, which filed the case."We think this is just the beginning," said Levick, who added that Grim has 120 days to make all his recommendations on how to handle the remaining cases.The ruling is the first good news for juvenile defendants in a sweeping investigation into corruption at the Luzerne County Courthouse that has already netted 4 guilty pleas and prompted the County court clerk to cooperate with federal authorities.A County probation official, Sandra Brulo, 56, pleaded guilty today to altering a court document in a juvenile case. She's also agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors.The court's ruling also comes more than a month after the high court asked Berks County Judge Arthur E. Grim to review the cases of an estimated 2,500 juveniles Ciavarella sentenced in the county between 2003 and 2008.Grim moved quickly to select the most pressing cases, including those involving juveniles who were still in detention. Grim made his recommendation to the court on March 13.The Supreme Court ordered the review after the law center filed a petition alleging that Ciavarella routinely violated the rights of juveniles by allowing them to appear before him without counsel. Ciavarella failed to inform defendants of their right to an attorney.In many cases the juveniles hardly knew they were admitting to crimes, only realizing the gravity of the situation as they were being shackled and taken away to detention centers.Judge Grim concluded that "a very substantial number of juveniles who appeared without counsel before Judge Ciavarella for delinquency related proceedings did not knowingly and intelligently waive their right to counsel."The law center, which joined with Philadelphia firm Hangley Aronchick Segal and Pudlin to tackle the case, also alleged that Ciavarella denied the juveniles the right to a fair trial by failing to tell them he was getting payments from the centers where he sent some of them.A former owner of the detention centerhas not been charged and is cooperating with federal authorities, they said. The former owner, Robert Powell, said the judge shook him down for payments.The request was the second time the law center asked the Supreme Court to review cases in Luzerne County.The court denied the law center's first request, which the center made in 2008.But after prosecutors announced the charges and plea agreements, the Supreme Court took action, removing the judges from the bench and ordering the review.The Supreme Court designated Grim as a special master in the case Feb. 11, giving him six months to complete his work.