Chair Brooks-Powers follows up on deadlocking allegations
Brooks-Powers revisits a September 23 hearing where General Counsel Conroy said deadlocking was not occurring, while Legal Aid testified clients were deadlocked. Chard says DOC cannot comment on ongoing litigation but maintains its prior position.
I just wanted to pivot really quickly for the Department of Correction regarding deadlocking.
This is a follow-up from our September 23rd hearing.
So at the committee on criminal justice hearing on September 23rd, I asked...
General Counsel Conroy to confirm that deadlocking is no longer occurring.
He responded that it was not, referencing the DOI, that DOI was unable to substantiate claims about deadlocking from 2024.
Later in the same hearing, Barbara Hamilton of Legal Aid testified that multiple clients have been deadlocked this year.
Allegations which DOC was surely aware of due to ongoing litigation.
Should we understand your previous testimony to mean that those allegations are false?
So we can't speak to any of the specific allegations that were made since there's ongoing litigation and legal action.
But I do believe that our position remains what the general counsel stated in that hearing.
But are you acknowledging that you're aware that litigation is going on right now?
I don't work in the legal division, but I believe there are some legal proceedings related to lock-in, but we can't comment on those specifically.
The concern for me is that your general counsel sat before this committee under oath and was unaware at that time about any deadlocking.
happening.
However, there's ongoing litigation and that was not acknowledged in his response to me.