2012 Calendar of Activities

January 2012:  Middle Ground has been requested by Sheriff Joe Arpaio to participate in a "Community Advisory Committee on Civil Rights," which is a mandate remedial measure required of him by the U.S. Dept. of Justice in response to the scathing report prepared by them regarding the civil rights violations -- particulary against Latinos or non-English-speaking prisoners or arrestees.  While the committee is advisory, we are willing to give the Sheriff a chance to turn his Departmet around.  We will keep this website posted with various updates or progress as represented by this committee.  The initial meeting has not yet been scheduled.

January 2012:  After receipt of letters from prisoners in the Eyman Complex/Meadows Unit which listed a host of complaints and policy violations, including insufficient recreation time, lack of blankets and other clothing for cold weather, portable toilets that were highly unsanitary, unreasonable restrictions on access to telephones and day rooms, and several other factors, Middle Ground intervened with Director Charles Ryan and the Deputy Warden/Meadows Unit.  Many of the issues of concern have now been resolved and we appreciate the cooperation of Department administrators in recognizing our concerns and taking immediate action.  We hope to tour the Meadows Unit with the Director in the near future.

January 2012:  Begin review of more than 1,000 bills introduced at the legislative session to determine which are relevant to criminal justice, corrections, prisoners, etc.  We read all bills and prepare "pro" or "oppose" positions for the ones that are given hearings.

January 18, 2012:  Attended House Military Affairs and Public Safety Committee to listen to presentations made by ADOC and by the Arizona Dept. of Juvenile Corrections.  See our letter which strongly objects to a portion of the slide show presentation made by the ADOC: CLICK HERE for Letter to Director Ryan objecting to slide show presentation.  We also testified against HB 2442, which proposes to charge all persons under community supervision, parole or other forms of release for drug tests that are ordered to be taken by DOC.  The tests are $8-10 each, and the monies collected may only be used to offset the cost of the tests.  We opposed this bill at the committee, but asked that if it is passed into law that it (1) contain a cap on the number of tests / month that a person must pay for, and (2) requested that a provision be placed in the bill which specifically permits waiver of payment of the fee for a person who cannot afford to pay.  The bill passed out of the committee, but Reps. Ruben Gallegos  and Richard Miranda were supportive of amendments to the bill.  Please contact their offices (rgallego@azleg.gov, rmiranda@azleg.gov) to express support for introduction of amendments as listed above.   The DOC claims that they will save $500,000/year on drug testing costs if persons on supervision have to pay for their own drug testing.  This bill IS going to pass into law; it is in the best interests of prisoner's families to insure that a cap is placed on the amt. / month that a person might have to pay, as well as to insure that there is a waiver in the law for those who simply can't pay due to not having a job, etc.