Zuri, I don't know why MDLR has acted in the way that she has. My best guess is that she is strongly opposed to the death penalty and she allowed herself to become personally involved with Arias.
Qualifications for a mitigation specialist include being a licensed social worker. This is not a very high bar, and I apologize if I offend anyone by saying that. MDLR is also privately contracted by Maricopa County, as opposed to being employed by the Office of the Public Defender. Because of this, her supervision is limited to the attorneys representing the defendant and she does not go through regular performance reviews. A lot can fall through the cracks this way and IMO without constant supervision and feedback, she has not had a path set for professional development.
MDLR was assigned as mit spec shortly after Victoria Washington's motion to resign as counsel was accepted in December 2011. A letter to Lisa written by Arias in August 2013 was just released a few days ago. In that letter, Arias wrote that MDLR had been buying art supplies, including art paper for Arias for more than a year. Arias said in this letter that the art paper is banned. Very early on, MDLR was using her own money to provide things to Arias. It is unclear if the art paper was always banned, but it stands to reason that it was contraband, or not allowed.
I have now heard from three different sources that later art sold as Arias' was not in fact drawn by her. If art paper was banned, then anything released beginning in the fall of 2013 should be on cardboard. If anyone has a good eye for sketches, look at her art carefully. You should be able to tell what is on cardboard vs. acid paper.
