Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1997. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
San Francisco Chronicle - The Voice of the West, 901 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94119 - Thursday, March 13, 1997 - Page A19
Yumi Wilson, Chronicle Staff Writer
Interim director Thomas Maddock said on Monday that Michelle Jaress Flores should go home before her spring 1998 release date from the Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla.
Maddock forwarded his recommendation to Flores' sentencing judges, who must make the ultimate decision whether to grant a compassionate release.
"We're hoping that the judges won't take very long," said Judy Greenspan of the HIV/ AIDS in Prison Project of Catholic Charities. "But unfortunately, there's no time limit."
Flores' mother, Jody Jaress, is hoping that the court will act quickly because her daughter's health is worsening rapidly. "Michelle may not even be here next week," said Jaress, who is currently staying at a hotel in Madera to be close to her daughter. "She's just not doing real well. They need to do it now."
Prison doctors have given Flores less than six months to live. The 29-year-old woman is being treated for complications from AIDS at Madera Community Hospital. Jaress believes that her daughter will get better care outside prison and wants to take her home to Thousand Oaks. But until now, Maddock had blocked the request, saying he thought Flores was still a danger to society.
Flores, a former drug addict, was sentenced to two years in prison after being convicted in November 1994 of assault with a deadly weapon for beating a man with his cane in Palm Springs. While in prison, she was sentenced to an additional 32 months after being found with an empty syringe.
On Friday, Maddock announced that he had recommended a compassionate release for Flores -- the day it was reported that Flores' mother feared that her daughter would not live to see her 30th birthday.
Department spokeswoman Christine May said Maddock changed his mind after taking another look at Flores' file and being told that her condition was worsening.
"It's not infrequent that the director will review a case two, three or four times," May said. "He wanted to make sure that there was no potential that she would jeopardize the public's safety."
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