Legal Aid to give free advice sessions

By Tasha Kates

Published: April 5, 2008

In the span of five hours in April, attorneys involved with the Legal Aid Justice Center will discuss everything from inmate mental health care to improving long-term care for seniors.
The center is hosting its fourth annual Java for Justice series from noon to 1 p.m. every Tuesday this month. The free series, which includes lunch, will be held at the center’s Charlottesville office at 1000 Preston Ave., Suite A.
“The goal is to educate members of the community about the work that we do,” said Susan Kruse, the center’s development director. “We want to reach people who could potentially benefit from our services.”
A presentation from the center’s Civil Advocacy Program kicked off the series Tuesday. The presenters discussed how to ensure people with low incomes receive legal help when dealing with consumer fraud, public benefits and housing and employment issues.
This Tuesday’s presentation will focus on the Virginia Institutionalized Persons Project, which began in 2007. Helen Trainor, managing attorney of the project, will speak.
Trainor said the project includes two class-action lawsuits, one on behalf of the state prisoners who have been denied adequate medical care and one on behalf of the 9,000 state inmates sentenced under older guidelines who aren’t being granted parole.
The project also hopes to get funding for a social worker at the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail, which has a full-time mental health nurse practitioner.
“They simply try to keep the prisoners stable through medication,” Trainor said. “And so the problem is that they are released with a prescription for medication and that’s it. The coordination of local services makes it possible for the mentally ill inmates to transition back into our community.”
The fourth project initiative involves creating self-help legal materials for prisoners with the help of students from the University of Virginia’s law school.
The remainder of April’s sessions will cover other issues:
—On April 15, people involved in the juvenile justice program JustChildren will discuss issues such as special education needs.
—On April 22, members of the Immigrant Advocacy Program and the Pro-Bono Immigration Project will discuss fair pay for immigrants and immigration status issues.
—On April 29, two attorneys who are part of the Community Partnership for Improved Long-Term Care will talk about protecting low-income seniors.
Attendees are encouraged to RSVP prior to the event by calling Kruse at 977-0553, ext. 101.