Frank K. and I drove on Thursday 1 April 99 to see Gerald Amirault at the Bay State Correctional Center, 28 Clark St., Norfolk MA. Though not far from the better known Walpole prison complex, it is a separate facility. Gerald seemed in good spirits and happy to see us, especially Frank, a regular visitor.
Contents:
The visitor center was a large room, perhaps 25 feet by 40, with waiting-room pews to one side, and round cafeteria tables to which one could pull up chairs. It was clean and well-lighted, with simple and functional furniture. It was inside the prison compound, in a low somewhat-temporary-looking new building, separated by a 50-foot outdoor walk from the gate. In the room, one guard sat at a slightly elevated desk, but the atmosphere was fairly relaxed; after all, it was not possible to break out from there.
We sat with Gerald at one of the round tables. We were able to talk softly; none of the groups at other tables disturbed us, and we didn't disturb them.
2. Some items we discussed (this is not an exhaustive list):
On the other hand, improvements are only relative. It is a prison, not a country club. In these law-and-order times, the Department of Corrections would be irritated with Gerald if his supporters gave the public the impression that it was a country club, or embarrassed them in other ways.
(2) I asked him about earlier prisons, and how he got to Norfolk.
(b) At Plymouth, "protective custody" meant that he was locked up much of the time, and had little access to stimulating activities like a prison library. Instead, someone would from time to time roll around a cart of books, not necessarily the newest or most interesting selection. Visits were strictly non-contact; Gerald could see his wife and children only through a thick pane of glass.
(c) Starting with Dorothy Rabinowitz's articles in 1995, however, the climate in prison changed radically. The word got around that Gerald had been railroaded, and he no longer had anything to fear from other inmates. Many of the staff also became sympathetic. They certainly knew he was an unusual prisoner, often going to the public-relations director's office for interviews with regional and national journalists. Gerald was now emboldened to apply to the prison in Norfolk with its more open environment and better facilities. It took a while, but his transfer was finally approved in March.
(d) Both Plymouth and BSCC (Norfolk) are medium-security prisons.
(b) He criticized the sharp cutback in parole; he believed there were some who, locked up for many years, had changed their lives around and would be good parole risks, but who were automatically ignored in the current anti-parole climate.
(c) [This paragraph c is my observation; he didn't say this] While his more conservative supporters (eg on the "Wall Street Journal" editorial page) sharply differentiate him (innocent) from most other inmates (guilty and best kept off the streets), that is not a distinction he would be comfortable hearing spoken in loud tones. After all, he has to live with the other inmates, and their decent treatment of him has made his life far more bearable. And, while he doesn't claim everyone is innocent (He is soft-spoken, and realistic about the world), he knows from personal experience that the judicial system is capable of making mistakes.
C. We discussed recent media coverage.
(a) I didn't realize, until Gerald told me, that Wendy Murphy, identified only as a "children's activist" on Court TV, actually was a former prosecutor in the Middlesex DA's office like Larry Hardoon, and now is a lawyer in the same law firm as Larry Hardoon. Court TV should have pointed that out.
(3) Tom Mashberg is returning to the "Boston Herald" after a leave of absence. (If I remember correctly, he was writing a book on the art robbery from the Isabella Stuart Gardner museum.) He may be planning to write again on Fells Acres, to refute some of the most commonly recurring prosecution lies (eg "spontaneous" disclosure).
(2) I raised the question, whether supporters should try to pressure Gov. Cellucci to release Gerald early, on grounds of his obvious innocence to anyone with eyes that can see and a mind that can think.
Gerald answered that his lawyers advised against it. Apparently, release in Massachusetts means a pardon, and pardons require their own long-drawn-out procedure. The defendant would have to suspend all his legal appeals (though he could renew them later if the pardon was finally rejected). Gerald and his advisors think his appeals are more likely to bear fruit.
Update, 991002--
Since the disgraceful ruling of the MA Supreme Judicial Court on 18 Apr 1999 against Cheryl Amirault, there is no hope for justice from Massachusetts courts. (Federal courts may eventually get around to doing right, as they did in Florida, but that will take time.)
Letters and other inducements to MA Governor Paul Cellucci to pardon Gerald and Cheryl are timely and worthwhile.
(2) There may be morning visits allowed (I didn't pin this down). In the afternoon, hours were 1300-2000. There is a shift change around 1600, however, when it is not possible to get in or out for perhaps as long as an hour.
(3) Up to four adults can visit at one time during weekdays, but only two on weekends, when the small visitor facility would be crowded. Children (within reason) don't count against these totals.
(4) Visitors cannot wear jeans. (The prisoners wear jeans, and the management don't want someone to be able to escape through a mixup.) You may wear only one layer of outer clothing, eg a long-sleeve casual shirt with no jacket. The visitor center was adequately heated when we were there, though it was a mild 1 April day outside. There was a fifty foot walk outdoors from the prison gate to the visitor center.
(5) Absolutely nothing can be brought into the visitor area, whether it be a gift, pen, piece of paper, wallet, keys, watch, money, or whatever. Small lockers are provided in the entrance lobby, where one can leave such things for 25 cents. Guards will search you before you go into the prison; if they find anything, no matter how innocent, they are likely to cancel your visit. Only two exceptions are allowed: the key to your locker in the lobby, and a canteen vending-machine debit card [next paragraph].
(1) How to get there (by car)--
From Boston and points north :
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