Due Process of Law for Jeffrey Ferris

Jeffrey Ferris is being railroaded for a murder that was committed by Raul Roque who confessed to the crime in February and then changed his statement in October 2006.

ON BEHALF OF: Jeffrey Ferris #082113, Martin Correctional 1150 S.W., Allapattah Road, Indiantown, Florida 34953

DIRECTED BY: The People

FOR THE PURPOSE OF: Ensuring Mr. Ferris’ Constitutional right to Due Process of Law by all of the authorities in the State of Florida, including but not limited to all of the authorities who are beholden to the direction and jurisdiction of the Florida Department of Corrections, and its employees.

WHEREAS: The following time line of events leading to the necessity of this petition has been prepared by Mrs. Joanna Ferris for convenience and clarity.

TO WIT:

February 2nd 2006: Inmate Ferris called today from his new location at Lake CI. He was very chipper because he could sit and look at the water while reading his Bible.

Feb 5th: Stabbing at Lake C.I. resulting in one inmate's death.

Feb 6th: I checked the FDOC inmate search site: To find that Ferris had suddenly been moved to CFRC.

I called Lake CI. And asked Mr. Mankins from the Attorney General's office why Ferris had been moved.

Mankins replied that Ferris was under investigation. Mankins felt Ferris was involved in the murder. Mankins said he could tell me no more because the investigation was still ongoing.

I asked Mankins why Ferris was not allowed his 2 minute phone call before being placed in confinement as per Chapter 33 law.

Mankins sidestepped by replying that Ferris could write. I asked if Ferris was given paper to do so and Mankins said yes, Ferris was given paper.

However, Ferris was NOT given writing material at that time. Berta actually sent paper and a stamped envelope to Ferris at a later date. Until that time, Ferris was given no writing material.

On the same day, Feb 6th, the Orlando Sentinel, published an article in the morning edition stating that inmate Miguel Griffin, 37, had died after a fight at Lake Correctional.

Feb 7th: A second article in the Orlando Sentinel reported that Raul Roque had confessed to the stabbing of Miguel Griffin during a fight at the Lake Correctional Institution on Sunday afternoon. The article also stated that both Griffin and Roque had a history of discipline problems while in prison. And that the stabbing was gang related. The Sentinel's source for that information was Department of Correction's records.

Feb. 8th: My authorized source inside the FDOC did read Ferris' Jacket, which documented that Ferris was under Protective Custody but that there were no changes on him.

My source also informed me that when FDLE fingerprinted the scene, Ferris' fingerprints did not come up on anything related to the murder; that there was nothing to suggest that Ferris was involved, nor was he charged with anything. He was listed as 'under protective custody'.

Feb 9th: I continued to check the site daily to confirm Ferris was still at CFRC and that he was still under PC. His location and status was also confirmed by my source. For the next seven days things remained unchanged.

Feb 10th: My source confirmed that Ferris should remain under PC for about one more week at CFRC while the FDOC looked for a safe facility to send him to. I was at ease with that.

Ferris informed Berta by mail that he had received the writing paper, the first he had access to since his arrival at CFRC. Ferris also advised us that he was being denied his eye glasses and bible.

Berta contacted CFRC to ask why Ferris was being denied his 2 minute call and his glasses and bible. She then received an email from Duane Spear from CFRC which stated that Spear had spoken with Ferris and told him to write his family. Spears said that if we had any other concerns we could call him.

When Berta tried to call Mr. Spear later, she was told (after 2 busy signals on his line) that he was gone for the day. She then emailed him again and has received no reply to her second e-mail to date.

Feb 17th: The FDOC inmate search site states that Ferris has been moved to FSP.

I called my source right away to find out how Ferris suddenly went from PC at CFRC to FSP. My source could not answer that question but said they were going physically to FSP get the answers.

When source asked FSP officers why Ferris was there, officers replied that they did not know. Source asked for Ferris' Jacket and officers said they could not find it. It remained that way for the weekend.

Berta called FSP and was told by an officer "Oh, Ferris! The one from Lake CI who’s being investigated for the murder of another inmate ...Yea he's here. We are waiting for the decision if he is CM or not. But he is under investigation for Murder."

Feb 20th: I called FSP at 10:20 am to speak with Ferris' classification officer. I was told by Ms Belford that because Ferris came in late Friday (2/17) evening he was not assigned a classification officer at that time and that I should call back in a few days.

Feb 21st: I called FSP this morning at 10:15 am. Someone in classification told me that Ferris' classification officer was Joey Hill but that Hill was "out to lunch and won’t be back until after lunch."

I finally spoke with Mr. Hill at 1:25 pm regarding Ferris. I explained that for 3 weeks I’ve been getting a runaround about what’s going on regarding Ferris. I ask Mr. Hill if Ferris had been charged with anything and Hill said NO.

I asked why Ferris was at FSP. I wanted to know how Ferris went from PC to FSP. He couldn’t give me an answer. I asked why Ferris is being considered for MC confinement if he did nothing wrong. Hill didn’t know why.

I explained that Ferris needed to have his glasses and bible back. I made it very clear to Hill that I planned to inform you of this matter and that I would speak to him again soon.

Feb 22 to 26th Things have stayed the same. With my contact informing me each day that Jeffrey was OK. On the 25th I received a letter from Jeffrey telling me everything that happened on Feb 5th 2006.

Feb 27th I went to the inmate search to find that Jeffrey has been placed into Maximum Management. He still has not been charged with anything. I will be calling Classification this morning.

March 2006

Through most of March things remained the same with Jeffrey still at FSP. On March 29 I talked to both Mr. Dixon and Joey Hill at which time Mr. Dixon told me that Jeffrey had been found innocent and found not to be involved in the killing of the inmate at Lake Correctional by the state attorneys office. Therefore he was pending transfer to a different facility.

March 30th: Jeffrey was moved to Everglades Correctional.

April 5th: On or about 5 April 2006, Inmate Ferris was approached and threatened by an inmate to "watch his back". Inmate Ferris in fear for his life went to Captain Forrest asking to be placed in "Protective Custody" at which time Captain Forrest called Inmate Ferris vulgar names, threatened him, charged him with contraband for his state issued glasses and or the glass case and locked Inmate Ferris down in AC. On 6 April 2006, the DR was thrown out and Inmate Ferris returned to population.

He was put right back into the imminently dangerous situation that he had asked to be protected. When at which time he should have been placed into PC. However, the FLDOC chose rather to put him back in harms way. Instead of any type of cooperation in getting Inmate Ferris promptly moved out of Everglades C.I., we were given the run around, and the pass along song and dance. We were lied to all the way from offices in Tallahassee to the offices and the Institution in the Everglades. Our faces were laughed in, our intelligence was insulted, and phone calls were not returned. Now Inmate Ferris is in PC. Safe? No. Though Inmate Ferris is locked away from the threats and harm of the threatening inmates, he is still under threat by the man that holds the key to the door that's suppose to separate him from bodily harm or death. The same man that issued him a bogus DR, Captain Forrest

April 22nd 2006 at 9:11 am: Col. Barfield and Captain Forrest paid Inmate Ferris a visit at his cell at which time the Col. informed Inmate Ferris that he was going to stop lying on Captain Forrest. Inmate Ferris replied that he was not lying and the Col. insisted that he and/or his people were lying on the Captain. Therefore, he (Inmate Ferris) is not out of harms way at all is he?

May 5, 2006: After receiving word from Secretary McDonough, We were informed by Dr. Bedard (Deputy Secretary of Corrections) that she was given the tasked of looking into these issues. In addition, has asked her inspectors to take the lead and provide her with updates.

May 15, 2006: Finding merit in many of our issues Dr. Bedard had Jeffrey moved into Protective Custody and sent to Martin Correctional. Were he has been without incident.

October 2006

FDLE visited Jeffrey again, while visiting they informed him that Raul Roque has changed his story say that Jeffrey lorded Miguel Griffin into the cell and studded him in the back. When Jeffrey was told this story, he replied: He is lying to you I never touched him. I will take a lie detector test and testify to that in court but I never touched the man.

Oct. 30, 2006: Jeffrey was served with paper that said a Detained has been placed on him for Premeditated 1st Degree Murder

END OF TIME LINE

If there was any evidence that Jeffrey Ferris was involved when his cellmate killed the other prisoner, they would have charged him right away. My experience with the prison system leads me to believe that they are procrastinating while trying to come up with something they can change him with. I am truly in fear for his life.

I truly feel that something is not right here. Nothing in this case looked right from the start.

Jeffrey Ferris is a quiet man who had only been at Lake C.I. for less than two weeks when all of this took place. His life is surrounded by his religion. He is not a problem inmate. He has done 6 years DR free without even a verbal warning. He attended the Faith based program at Tomoka C.I. and is and always has been committed to his religion and his family. And until this incident, he has never had a problem. I ask if you would take the time to look into this matter for corruption runs high in the State of Florida.

An innocent man is being charged with something he had nothing to do with other than being a cellmate to the man that committed this crime.

What evidence do the authorities have against Jeffrey Ferris? How can a man be indicted without being informed that he is under suspicion of a crime? Where did Florida State authorities get their information months later and after Raul Roque had already confessed to this crime in February 2006? And why did it take them until October 2006 after they already cleared Jeffrey Ferris in March 2006 to decide to indict Ferris instead of the man who confessed to this crime? There too many holes in this case and there have been from day one. It appears from this that someone within the DOC set up Jeffrey Ferris to take the fall for a crime Raul Roque committed. Will Ferris get a trial by jury or will he just be convicted without his constitutional right to due process?