Minneapolis: Minnesota Derek Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer found guilty of killing George Floyd, has a lawyer. On Saturday, the lawyer reported that Chauvin was stabbed in jail and that federal prison authorities had not informed Chauvin’s family.
A day after his client was stabbed by another prisoner at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tucson, Arizona—a facility beset by security flaws and personnel shortages—the attorney, Gregory M. Erickson, criticised the Federal Bureau of Prisons for its lack of openness.
Source : NBC NEWS
Minnesota Derek Chauvin
According to NBC News on Friday, a law enforcement source with knowledge of the event said that Chauvin suffered critical injuries from the stabbing. The Minnesota attorney general’s office spokeswoman, Brian Evans, said on Saturday that “we have heard that he is expected to survive.”Derek Chauvin
Erickson said that in their attempts to get information regarding the assault from Bureau of Prisons personnel, Chauvin’s lawyers and family had run into a dead end. He said that since Chauvin’s family has been relying only on news reports, they have been compelled to believe that he is in stable health. Despite their repeated requests for updates, they have received no response from the jail.
In a statement to the AP, Erickson said, “As an outsider, I view this lack of communication with his attorneys and family members as completely outrageous.” “It seems to be a sign of a badly managed facility and shows how Derek’s assault was permitted to occur.”Derek Chauvin
Erickson’s remarks bring to light long-standing concerns expressed about the lack of information that federal prison authorities provide to the relatives of inmates who are gravely sick or wounded while in federal care.
The problem of family notification has also led to federal legislation being introduced in the U.S. Senate last year. This legislation would mandate that the Justice Department create policies mandating that the Federal Bureau of Prisons and state correctional systems notify the families of inmates in the event of a serious illness, life-threatening injury, or death in custody.
Erickson criticised the jail for its “poor procedures and lack of institutional control,” pointing out that following Derek’s stabbing, his family members, who are responsible for his personal medical care and emergency contact, were not notified.
An inquiry for comment on Saturday night was not immediately answered by a Bureau of Prisons representative.
Only one attack at the Arizona institution has been reported by the Bureau of Prisons, which also claims that staff members used “life-saving measures” before the prisoner was sent to a hospital for further care and assessment. For “privacy and safety reasons,” the Bureau of Prisons withheld the victim’s identity and medical information.Derek Chauvin
Prosecutors who succeeded in obtaining a conviction for second-degree murder against Chauvin at a jury trial in 2021 voiced disappointment that he was attacked while in federal detention.Derek Chauvin
George Floyd’s brother Terrence Floyd told the AP on Saturday that he felt numb when he first heard the news and that he wouldn’t want anybody to be stabbed in jail.
Terrence Floyd said, “I’m not going to devote my energy to anything that occurs inside those four walls—because my energy went towards getting him in those four walls.” “I really don’t care about anything that goes on inside those four walls.”
In the last five months, there have been two high-profile stabbings of federal inmates, including Chauvin’s. Disgraced sports physician Larry Nassar was stabbed in July in a federal jail in Florida by a fellow prisoner.
In August 2022, Chauvin, then 47 years old, was transferred from a maximum-security Minnesota state prison to FCI Tucson in order to serve a 22½-year state term for second-degree murder and a 21-year federal sentence for violating Floyd’s civil rights.Derek Chauvin
Anticipating that Chauvin would be a target, another of his solicitors, Eric Nelson, had argued for separating him from the general public and other prisoners. Nelson said in court filings from the previous year that Chauvin was mostly detained in solitary confinement in Minnesota, “largely for his own protection.”
The United States Supreme Court denied Chauvin’s appeal of his murder conviction last week. Separately, Chauvin is attempting in vain to reverse his guilty plea to the federal government, arguing that fresh evidence disproves his involvement in Floyd’s killing.Derek Chauvin
