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.
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--
(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 :
Return to index of "Fells Acres and the Boston Press."
2. Some items we discussed (this is not an exhaustive list):
A. He is substantially happier with the prison in Norfolk than with the one he left last month in Plymouth.
3. Gerald alerted us that the guards close the gate for about an hour during shift change (starting about 3:40 PM?). It is permissible for visitors to remain during that time, since visiting hours run till 8 PM, but Frank and I had intended to beat the rush hour back to Boston. The guard in the visitors' room alerted us at 3:40, and we went out the gate with three other visitors.
(1) No longer in "protective custody," he has access to a greater range of stimulating activities, eg a prison library. He is now allowed direct contact with visitors, notably his wife and children. And, more mundanely, he sees real vegetables and meat at the cafeteria.
B. Gerald and Frank discussed his children, including his son who plays high-school hockey. Frank has gotten to know the family well. Gerald also encouraged Frank and me to talk about our activities outside.
(a) He spent his first 8 years at the county jail in Billerica. Unlike many Southern county jails, Billerica was reasonably decent, and closer to his family. The county prisoners, however, filed a lawsuit against overcrowding; as part of the settlement, 150 State prisoners, including Gerald, had to be moved out into State prisons. As someone convicted of molesting children, Gerald was kept in "protective custody" from violence of other inmates. (He concurred in this judgement.) The only State prisons available with protective custody programs were at Springfield and Plymouth; Gerald chose Plymouth, because it was a bit closer to friends and family, and Springfield had a somewhat more violent reputation.
(3) As might be expected for someone in his position, Gerald was not particularly fond of some "law and order" attitudes of the Weld and Cellucci Administrations.
(a) He criticized the cutback in college education programs: there used to be substantial opportunities, but now, for most inmates, there was little beyond the high-school Graduation-Equivalency Diploma (GED).
(1) The 1-hour "Court TV" episode, Tues 23 March 99
D. Legal status of the Fells Acres cases (Gerald A. and Cheryl Amirault Lefave)
Gerald did not see it, but his wife was very enthusiastic about it. On the other hand, a friend (cousin?) Gerald talked to had the same misgiving I did, that former prosecutors Larry Hardoon and Wendy Murphy were allowed, without rebuttal, to push two major lies: that the children "spontaneously" disclosed abuse, and that there was medical evidence of abuse. The balance: overall the show was a plus, since it served to keep Fells Acres in public consciousness. Nevertheless, for those who had never heard of Fells Acres, the warm-and-fuzzy impressions of the Amirault family might be offset by what look like two hard arguments for the prosecution.
(2) A CBS "48 Hours" episode, mysteriously buried at an abnormal time slot last election eve, may be re-aired. An expected appearance on Thurs 22 April 99, at the normal 10-11 PM time slot, was preempted by a special on the 20 April school-killing at Littleton CO.
(1) Cheryl's prosecutors finally, after various waivers and delays, submitted their arguments, with a 150-page amicus brief (by various "experts" who hid from Judge Borenstein's evidentiary hearing last April), to the MA Supreme Judicial Court (SJC). [They are seeking reinstatement of the criminal conviction thrown out by Judge Isaac Borenstein on 12 Jun 98.] Cheryl's defense attorneys were busy consulting their own experts, including Drs. Bruck and Schetky. [They submitted their response brief on 16 April.] The SJC has scheduled oral arguments for Thurs 6 May. The SJC's decision is expected 3-4 months after the oral arguments.
The following paragraphs are obsolete:
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.Appendices
ap-1. Rules for visits:
A. [superseded]
B. Prison rules (Caution-- these can change at any time):
(1) Direct contact is allowed in the visitor center. We pulled up three chairs around a cafeteria table. (In contrast, at Plymouth, visitors and prisoners are separated by a solid glass barrier, and can only talk through a phone.)
(a) To use the vending machines (beverages, junk food, microwaveable sandwiches) in the visitor area, you can use a $5 bill to buy a debit card in the lobby before going in. (I believe the original purchase deducts 50 cents as cost of the card, leaving a $4.50 value.) While no other denominations [$1, $10] are accepted for the original card purchase, it is possible (I am not sure) they can be used to add value to it.
(6) You can send letters and items by mail. Gerald has a locker, and has been able to keep a substantial amount of papers relevant to his case (This is in sharp contrast to military "Basic Training," which many veterans have compared to prison. Presumably this is because of a prisoner's Constitutional right to track his case and pursue appeals.) If you have questions whether something would be allowed, check with the Amirault family.ap-2: Gerald's mailing address, location, and how to get there
This has become obsolete since Gerald's release on 30 April 2004
A. Mailing address:
[Prisoner's name and number]
B. Telephone contact:
Bay State Correctional Center
P.O. Box 73
Norfolk, MA 02056
A prisoner cannot receive phone calls, but he is allowed to make collect calls if you send him your number and (if applicable) your preferred times.
C. Actual location:
Mod 1
BSCC
28 Clark St.
From the old Route 128, take Interstate 95 south toward Providence RI.
From I-95, take the Foxboro Stadium exit (Exit #9 in Sharon and Walpole).
This merges directly onto Route 1.
Continue south on Route 1 three or four miles until you see Foxboro Stadium on your left. Continue on Route 1 past Foxboro Stadium about 1 mile until you reach your first traffic light.
Turn right at this traffic light (Pine St in Foxboro and Norfolk). [Note: there was another Pine St. 2 miles north in Walpole. Ignore that one; you must pass Foxboro Stadium (you can't miss it) first.]
Follow Pine Street to its end (perhaps 1/3 mile),
and then turn right. You are now on Route 15.
Follow Route 15 for about 1 mile until it meets Route 1A at a traffic light.
Turn right on Route 1A. You will see a wooded ridge (actually a plateau) about 1 mile ahead. Drive to the top of the plateau, where you will see a large complex for Walpole prison on the left. Continue on Route 1A, starting down the other side of the plateau. You will start to enter a settled area (older houses, not very close together),
and see coming in from the left a road marked with a rather small (2 feet high, 3 feet wide?) white sign, "Bay State Correctional Center." (I believe this road is Winter St. [Walpole], though I didn't notice if it was labeled as such). Turn left onto this street (Winter?) and continue for perhaps 1 mile. (It changes its name to Clark St. once you cross in Norfolk). You will come to an open grassy area, and Bay State Correctional Center will be visible on the left, behind a line of slim junipers. The driveway is plainly marked.
As you go in, there is a parking lot marked on the right for staff and visitors.
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