**Please post for distribution**
On January 1, 2003, I left Habern, O'Neil & Buckley, L.L.P. and started
my own practice in Huntsville, Texas. My new contact information is:
Yolanda Torres, P.O. Box 515, Huntsville, Texas 77342-0515, (p)
936-291-7054; (f) 936-293-8303; (cell) 936-662-7923.

I will continue to practice in the following areas: TDCJ prison
administrative matters, TDCJ conditions claims; state and federal §1983
claims, criminal and civil law, and parole representation and parole
revocation matters throughout the state. I will also continue to serve as
the Litigation Director of the Texas ACLU's Prison and Jail
Accountability Project. The PJAP is a relatively new project and we are
trying to make prisoners aware of our existence. Please feel free to
refer prisoners to the PJAP at: P.O. Box 3629, Austin, Texas 78764. The
PJAP has produced a very substantive Prisoner Resource Guide that
identifies prisoner advocacy groups and organizations (legal and
non-legal) that are available to assist prisoners in such areas as
medical and conditions complaints. For a free copy, contact the PJAP at
P.O. Box 3629, Austin, Texas, 78764. Or, e-mail me and I will e-mail you
a copy.

For those of you who attended the January 9-10 TCDLA CLE in Houston, and
did not receive the errata sheet on my paper, the correction is noted
below. If anyone would like a copy of my paper, entitled The Prison
Litigation Reform Act and Prisoner Civil Rights Litigation, just e-mail
me and I will e-mail you a copy.

Thanks so much!

Yolanda Torres

This is a good woman for those of you who do not know her. She and the ACLU helped change the visitation policy so that ex-employees of TDCJ-ID could come back and visit an inmate. I married an inmate and TDCJ-ID refused to let us visit. With the help of Yolanda and the ACLU, I now get to see my huband every week. It took us 20 months to get the policy changed but it has been well worth our efforts. May God bless this incredible woman.

Yoland please write me back at (e-mail address removed per PTO policy - member may be contacted via Private Messaging on PTO)

I am the mother of a inmate who has been in TDCJ for over 12 years for auto theft.

He had made parole on February 2001 but was not going to be released until after September 2001.

Well on or about August 1, 2001 he was attacked by two guards, one name Calvin Jones and the other was a KU not sure of the last name. They beat my son unmercyful.

Now, the thing about this they filed charges on him. This Special Prosecutor Katy Weeks who is the wife of Walker County District Attorney Office.

I got a lot of dirty of these people these guards has a history of doing this violent behavior.

I am a lady who which sued TDCJ for the beating of my daughter and I am wondering since that shake up is that why my son was target as well.

I tried to get a copy of the Video tape but the Inspector of General refused to allow me to get it. They wrote me back saying the Attorney General said I could not get it under the Open Public Record Act.

I recent saw your comment and so they lied. My son name is Cedric Lewis #643117 . He been under MHMRA every since he been in prison.

He is now at Jester IV and is now a S1. They got him schedule for trial on August 27, 2003. Now the Attorneys who suppose to be representing him is working for TCBJ who oversee TDCJ. The trial is to be in Huntsville, Texas where all families and friends will be the jury.

This Calvin Jones and this other guard, Specila Prosectuor all are performing a civil rights violation under the Color of Act. This Attorney is obstructing justice as well.

I want to file a lawsuit due to the violation of my son civil rights. I don't have the funds to get an attorney to represent him. I had spoke with Representative Terri Hodges who detterred me from filing this suit a long time ago.

I had some of my son medical records from UTMB, they knows this inmate has medical history and it is documentaiton on this.

I see also Linda Mouten was indicted and ple bargain for the theft. I feel that is what all the retailation is about.

The day my son was attack he had a mental break down. One of the Sgt on second shift had told me that when I was allowed to visit my son after this assault on him. My son had been taken off of his medication by a Dr. Pham. He had been on Haldo which keeps him well.
He was only experiencing a psychotic episode and this is the way they handle the matter.

This cause my son much trauma which he had a very bad mental breakdown and I had documentaion on this in my possession now.

The attorneys who supposed to be defending him lied and stated a psychologist stated he does not have a mental problem but the Psychatrist at Jester IV has been treating him off and on for over 12 years at the varies Psych Units at TDCJ. Skyview and Jester IV where he has been housed since February of 2002.

Now, my son has hypertension and a serious diabetic taking insulin 2x a day. Once he shared his blood sugar level was 800 range that is when they tested him to see if he was a diabetic. He has had a stroke. That was after his beaten. He had a black eye, bruises all over his body. He is not a violent inmate. He has never had cases for fighting guards.

my husband told me Ms. Torres answered his letter and said she would help him for a fee of ten thousand dollars...
any comment on this?!

Heart_of_fire, it is difficult to say whether a fee is reasonable without knowing what services would form the basis of the contract. If it is parole-related, it is not out of line with what some of the other top-shelf offices are known to be charging. It is also less than what some appellate attorneys charge for habeas work. Specialized areas of law may have wide ranges of fees, and ultimately, it all comes down to whether you feel comfortable with the qualifications of the attorney in question to get the results you want.

MY HEART GOES OUT TO YOU. I ALSO SUED THE COUNTY IN WICH WE LIVE FOR POLICE BRUTALITY,EXCESSIVE FORCE AND VIOLATIONS OF POLICY AND PROCEDURES. WE WON!!!BUT NOT WITHOUT RETALLIATION . BE CAREFULL AND GOOD LUCK.

Is there someone that could PM me with Ms. Torres' e-mail address? I know we cant post them here so if anyone has her e-mail, it would be much appreciated.

thank you!

All I can say is this is an old thread. As far as any attorney working for the ACLU what a joke! They don't lift a finger to help a defendant to keep from going to death row. I mean someone who was being railroaded. ACLU what a joke!