For the second installment of interviews with incarcerated legal specialists, I talk to Karlief Moye, known inside as Leaf, another member of the legal community at North Branch Correctional Institution in Maryland.
Leaf and I discuss his role as a legal clerk in our facility’s law library, where he does research and is the keeper of materials for people with questions about their cases. Leaf also discusses his views of the legal landscape for both incarcerated people and those on the outside.
Some of the questions and answers have been edited for length and clarity.
Q: What’s up, sir? Tell the people who you are, what occupation you hold in the legal field, and how long you’ve been here at North Branch.
Leaf: My name is Karlief “Leaf” Moye. I’ve been locked up here at North Branch for just under five years. I’m currently a legal clerk in our main [law] library. My main duty is to help brothers like yourself with their legal questions. Part of my job is also to provide requested legal materials, do minor legal research and to point people in the right legal direction. I can’t provide legal advice, nor do I consider myself a “jailhouse lawyer.”
As far as my legal history, I started college as a pre-law major but the legal jargon and semantics were too much for my young brain to handle, so I switched to business and graduated with an MBA. Since I’ve been at North Branch, I’ve received my paralegal certification.
Q: You mentioned that you are not a “jailhouse lawyer.” What is a jailhouse lawyer?
Leaf: A jailhouse lawyer is typically someone who has been locked up for a long time and “practices” law in the prison. They provide legal advice, find issues in people’s cases, and write up legal documents, including briefs, motions and any other documents that provide legal remedies. They’re truly masters of the legal word game, and that’s not me!
Q: Word game?
Leaf: Yeah, the legal mumbo jumbo. The same legal jargon and semantics I referred to earlier. For instance, this quote comes from a case I’m reading now: “The Supreme Court of Maryland has not yet resolved whether the ‘determine and announce’ requirement always applies when a court is carrying out the dictates of rule 4215.” If it’s a requirement, doesn’t it always apply? The state should enact a “plain language” law like the federal government did around 2011. Because the law is full of loopholes, and right now it is only [accessible] for those who are in the know or who have the money.
Q: Has the law changed more for the good or bad over the last 10 years?
Leaf: Young brother, that is a very tricky question. Before I begin to answer, I have one thing that I want to point out. The criminal justice system is not designed for people of color, so as long as systemic racism is in those systems, it doesn’t matter if the laws have changed for the better or worse.
So, for better or worse? Are you talking for people of color or for white folks?
For people in prison in Maryland, the laws seem to be progressing for the better — because it seems like those in charge are trying to reduce the warehousing of the masses in correctional settings.
For those on the outside, I believe the government is overregulating, and [I believe] that overregulating kills. In this case, it’s killing society and its freedoms. There is too much financial pressure on the urban household, and it sets these people up to feel like their only option is to break the laws that are in place to protect us.
Then when these people — often Black men — are on trial, the same laws and ideals that are meant to protect us are being used to hinder us. If these legislators focused this much attention and funding on building moral character, personal ethics and social values, there would be less need for overregulating with all of these laws.
