Posted by MaggieMae_CA on 10/7/05 1:10pm
Msg #69355
Prison Notarization
Yep... Me again... I've been too busy to post anything in ages so today's my lucky day and I'm making up for lost time!
I did my first (and hopefully last) prison notarization. I was called by the girlfriend of the incarcerated signer who will be filing a bankruptcy on his behalf. She needed a POA and a letter authorizing her to be permitted to claim his belongings taken from him at the time of booking.
He is incarcerated at the East Mesa Detention Facility in Otay Mesa. The girlfriend set up the visit with the prison officials a couple of days before and had me on the roster for a social visit. I was concerned about IDing him from reading messages here on NotRot. I explained to the girlfriend that I needed proper ID and there was no guaranty that the prison officials would accommodate a request for his prison ID to be produced.
The girlfriend said no problem, that she had his valid CA driver’s license which she would bring with her. Everything went as planned and I completed the notarization. One of the Sheriff’s officers stood next to us the entire time (inmates not visitors – including notaries – are not allowed to have pens, so he was keeping track of the pen). After the notarization was completed I asked the officer if I could leave so that the couple could visit without me. He said “No, you need to stay for the duration of the visiting hour.” Freaked me out!
Then he started laughing and escorted me to the gate.
I had told my husband about the assignment a few days before. He didn’t say anything. The night before he asked me if I wanted him to go with me. I told him yes, if he would like to. Turns out he was mad at me for not asking him. He didn’t want me going alone to a prison and it was making him crazy that I wasn’t asking for him to shadow me. In the meantime, I think I’m being a good wife and a brave soul for not asking so that he can catch some much needed sleep on a Sunday morning.
Lady notaries… I learned two valuable lessons from this assignment.
1) I never want to go to prison (or a detention facility).
2) Husbands/significant others want to feel needed and they want you to ask them to come along when you’re going to questionable places.
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