Crime and Courts Dec. 5, 2002

Shannon's Law is cited

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Jail inmates' attorneys seek probe of tapings

PHOENIX - Attorneys representing 14 Maricopa County jail inmates filed a special court action on Wednesday calling for a full investigation into the tape-recording of phone conversations between prisoners and their lawyers.

Phoenix attorneys Phil Noland and Carmen Fischer contend the recordings violated inmate rights and may have been used illegally by police. In a new filing, they ask for a new review of jail logs and phone tapes to determine whether investigators monitored client-attorney calls.

Special Master John Daughton, hired by the presiding Maricopa County Superior Court judge, confirmed last week that thousands of confidential calls have been improperly recorded due to computer glitches and human errors. However, he concluded, there was no evidence that police eavesdropped on the conversations and no point in further investigations.

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