Context and Action for Inmates During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Neglect is foremost in the story of William Garrison, an inmate at the MDOC. Garrison served 44 years for a crime he committed as a teen and was due to be released. Garrison died due to the coronavirus which he likely contracted from his bunkmate. His bunkmate told the victim’s sister he exhibited symptoms of the virus prior to Garrison’s death. The prisoners who witnessed the fatal episode said prison staff responded slowly and handcuffed Garrison when he fell unconscious onto the floor (Hutchinson, 2020).
Outbreaks of disease in correctional and detention facilities are not a new occurrence, although this particular strain of the Coronavirus is something we haven’t dealt with before. During the 2009 outbreak of H1N1, there were a high number of cases in correctional and detention facilities. After this outbreak, guidelines for jails and prisons were put into place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The guidelines reflect current knowledge we have about the virus but have not been updated since March 23, 2020 (“Guidance on Management of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Correctional and Detention Facilities,” 2020). However, these guidelines may not be enforced nor are the institutions responsible for implicating them held accountable if they don’t follow the guidelines.
While researching this issue it’s notable to add that what we hear from spokespeople or workers at correctional and detention facilities are vastly different then what we hear from inmates. What we continually hear about from inmates is the lack of action regarding safety precautions from detention and correctional facilities. How are these facilities given the responsibility to “rehabilitate” our incarcerated population when the facilities themselves have inmates’ blood on their hands due to neglect?
According to the DOC Oregon prisons are “intensifying the efforts to reduce potential exposure and transmission for the vulnerable population” but also admits to making no changes in housing. The restriction of visitation has cut down exposure but leaves prisoners unable to see their loved ones. On top of this, meals are now being eaten either staggered or in cells. If we take away prisoners' social interactions and resources to better themselves, this may result in prisoners feeling depressed and lonely. Prison is about rehabilitation and by dehumanizing prisoners, we are teaching them to be isolated and alone rather than trying to better themselves so they can be a part of society again. In order for prisoners to better themselves, they need to be able to maintain relationships with others. Advocacy organizations have been pressing state officials to provide free phone calls and video conferencing services but only 5 minute phone calls have been approved, says Noell Crombie from Oregon Live.
The United States contains the highest population of incarcerated peoples in the world, and in Oregon, every 582 people out of 100,000 are incarcerated (Initiative P. P., Oregon Profile, 2020). Being incarcerated already creates a sense of fear and lack of control, but during this outbreak those senses have been dramatically amplified. Population density, high stress environment, and lack of hygiene protocol are creating dangerous conditions for people behind bars. It can be hard to find the truth for what protocols are being followed and how inmates are being treated currently. Sources have conducted interviews with inmates who describe how they don’t feel informed, how their labor (cleaning hospital linens) is dangerous, and that some are being sent to solitary confinement when confronted with any kind of symptom (COVID-19 related or not).
The Prison Policy Initiative has been making efforts to keep people informed about policy changes being enacted to help increase hygiene performances in jails and prisons. They are also keeping people up to date on the newest initiatives being taken that are aimed to decrease the amount of people in facilities to further enforce more social distancing. The newest update they have made as of April 14th, 2020 is that Oregon’s Multnomah County Jail has decreased their population size by 30% in the past month (Initiative P.P., Virus Response, 2020). More efforts are being made around the country to decrease jail and prison populations. The Oregonian posted this statement in response to the current actions being taken for incarcerated populations, “Local police and sheriff’s deputies are issuing citations for nearly all misdemeanor crimes, giving people future dates to appear in court instead of making arrests and taking them to jail, said Sheriff Mike Reese (Bernstein, M. 2020, April 15). These efforts, and more, are examples of what is needed to provide just action for people who are incarcerated. We can not allow neglect and we will not stand for silence.
--- This post has been provided by Trey, Lane and Henry for UNST 242: Leading Social Change ---
Bernstein, M. (2020, April 15). Multnomah County's adult jail population has dropped about 30% due to fewer arrests, early releases. Retrieved April 24, 2020, from https://www.oregonlive.com/coronavirus/2020/04/multnomah-countys-adult-jail-population-has-dropped-about-30-percent-due-to-fewer-arrests-early-releases.html
Hutchinson, B. (2020, April 21). 'He was coming home': Michigan prisoner who served 44 years died from coronavirus days before release. Retrieved from https://abcnews.go.com/US/coming-home-michigan-prisoner-served-44-years-died/story?id=70241168
Initiative, P. P. (n.d.). Oregon profile. Retrieved April 24, 2020, from https://www.prisonpolicy.org/profiles/OR.html
Initiative, P. P. (n.d.). Virus response. Retrieved April 24, 2020, from https://www.prisonpolicy.org/virus/virusresponse.html
Guidance on Management of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Correctional and Detention Facilities. (2020, April 18). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/correction-detention/guidance-correctional-detention.html
Oregon prisons respond to coronavirus: Inmates told to wash hands, given 2 free calls a week. (2020, March 19). Retrieved from https://www.kgw.com/article/news/oregon-prisons-respond-to-coronavirus/283-ea6e454f-136a-4ee5-b2aa-96e2b012df38