Legal News

Onus on defense attorneys to block recording of calls with San Diego inmates

By Jason Siegel

San Diego criminal defense attorneys weren't happy to hear that phone calls between defense attorneys and inmate clients were recorded and made easily accessible to prosecutors.

The San Diego Sheriff's Department said it was an accident and quickly ceased recording all inmate calls a couples weeks ago.

They said that they keep a list of attorney phone numbers in which taping is blocked. The problem was that the list needed to be updated.

San Diego jailers are recording inmate calls again and the new system, as the North County Times reports it, is to place the onus on defense attorneys to make sure the Sheriff's Department has their number listed. Also, the initial warning that the call is recorded will now be followed by another warning a few minutes later.

San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis wrote in a statement that she is working with the Sheriff's Department and criminal defense attorneys on fixing the problem and doesn't know of anyone in her office who has listened to a recorded attorney-client call, the North County Times reported.

Full post as published by Legal Pad | LA on July 03, 2008 (boomark / email).