Attorney Reports No News on Derek Chauvin’s Family Following Prison Stabbing

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Derek Chauvin’s attorney reported that Chauvin‘s family has not been informed by federal prison officials following his stabbing in prison.

Gregory M. Erickson, Chauvin’s lawyer, criticized the lack of transparency by the Federal Bureau of Prisons after his client was stabbed on Friday at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tucson, Arizona.

Although a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Friday that Chauvin was seriously injured in the stabbing, Brian Evans, a spokesperson for the Minnesota attorney general’s office, stated on Saturday that “We have heard that he is expected to survive.”

Erickson expressed frustration at the lack of communication between Chauvin‘s family and his attorneys with Bureau of Prisons officials. He highlighted the poor communication as indicative of a poorly run facility and how Chauvin’s assault was allowed to happen.

Concerns have been raised for years regarding federal prison officials providing little to no information to the loved ones of incarcerated individuals who are seriously injured or ill in federal custody. This issue led to federal legislation being introduced to require the Justice Department to establish guidelines for family notification in case of serious illness, a life-threatening injury, or death behind bars.

The Bureau of Prisons did not name the victim or provide a medical status “for privacy and safety reasons” but confirmed an assault at the Arizona facility and stated that employees performed “life-saving measures” before the inmate was taken to a hospital for further treatment and evaluation.

Chauvin was transferred to FCI Tucson from a maximum-security Minnesota state prison in August 2022 to serve a 21-year federal sentence for violating George Floyd’s civil rights and a 22½-year state sentence for second-degree murder.

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