PARTIES involved in the 1991 settlement agreement for the Department of Corrections have been issued new orders by District Court of Guam Chief Judge Frances Tydingco-Gatewood.
Sections of the settlement agreement that were brought up included two concerns at the Adult Correctional Facility: environmental sanitation and the medical and dental needs of inmates and detainees.
Each concern was brought before the court during a status hearing earlier this week.
Tydingco-Gatewood ordered the parties to meet every two weeks starting this June and gave them deadlines to submit reports on areas such as the locking mechanisms and the environmental sanitation of DOC facilities as noted in the settlement agreement.
The parties were also ordered to file a joint status report by Oct. 30 that will detail the outcome of the meetings and progress in complying with the two sections of the settlement agreement
The independent monitor, J. Bradley Klemm, is expected to conduct site visits and file a status report on the same date to address current conditions and progress with regard to the sections. The report will also include the status of medical charts from the medical consultant, Dr. Joseph Fowlkes.
DOC Supply and Management Officer Joseph Mesa is to file a report by Nov. 6 as to whether he has information different from the independent monitors’ report.
Mesa stated in court documents that they are working on the two major areas at the Adult Correctional Facility and the Federal Detention Facility. They include the installation of a new generator and the installation of electronic locking/unlocking systems. A bidding process for the generator is ongoing, but Mesa informed the court they anticipate its installation by December.
He also mentioned they are working with the Department of Public Works on the scope of work for the locking/unlocking system, which is expected to be completed by early next year.
With regard to medical and dental matters, Fowlkes said nursing protocols are now under review with the Guam Memorial Hospital. Fowlkes also noted new medical polices are being assessed for implementation. Klemm, meanwhile, reported that DOC now has both a full- and part-time nurse.
The next status hearing for DOC will be Nov. 20 at 9 a.m. in Tydingco-Gatewood’s courtroom.
