Letter from Jerome Coffey on legal violations

The following is a letter from Jerome Coffey.

On April 30, 2026, State Correctional Institution Pine Grove correctional officials illegally photocopied attorney Martha R. Conley’s legal work product before she met with incarcerated client Jerome Coffey on a scheduled official visit.

Attorney Conley remained calm and professional, complying with the correctional officer’s orders while knowing they were illegally violating attorney/client privilege rules against copying attorney paperwork.

Attorney Conley visited her client again on May 25 and requested that correctional officers produce the institutional policy statement that allows photocopying of the attorney work product. Officers could not comply, because no such policy exists!

Jerome Coffey is represented by the Abolitionist Law Center. ALC director Bret Grote had contacted Timothy Holmes, Chief Counsel for the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (Central Office) to lodge a complaint. In July, 69 days later, ALC attorneys Lolo Serrano, Rupalee Rashatawar and Quinn Cozzen (who all represent Mr. Coffey) accompanied Conley on her third visit when nothing was photocopied.

Copying an attorney’s work product is a clear constitutional violation. Working in solidarity were Workers World newspaper which published an article (workers.org/2026/05/92646/), Cindy Lou who created an infographic alert and the Abolitionist Law Center which also exposed this constitutional violation.

Finally, attorney Conley is the first Black woman to graduate from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. She practices law in Allegheny County.

Thank you to Workers World, Cindy Lou and the Abolitionist Law Center.

Jerome Coffey
SCI Pine Grove