Items

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  2020-08-05

  Florida inmate COVID-19 deaths up to 59 as outbreaks continue

  Covid is particularly dangerous in places where social distancing is not an option. For this reason the nation's correctional facilities have seen huge outbreaks of the virus. This article discusses the conditions in Florida's prisons. While the state says they are doing more to combat the virus as of this article's writing Florida has seen 59 incarcerated people die from Covid.
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  2020-08-11

  2 ORU prison inmates die from COVID-19; 34 total

  Two more people incarcerated at Arkansas state prisons have died from the Coronavirus, bringing the total deaths from the virus to thirty four. They also have 800 active cases.
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  2020-08-10

  Florida inmate, prison worker COVID-19 cases soar

  This article highlights the amazing speed at which Covid-19 spreads through the nation's correctional facilities. Over twelve thousand incarcerated people have the virus, of which sixty five have died. As an example of how quickly the virus spreads the article sites the Taylor Correctional Institute going from 25 cases on August 1st to 564 on August 10th. To date over seventy-three thousand tests have been conducted in the states correctional facilities.
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  2020-08-10

  Defacto Death Sentence

  This Tweet shows that 22% of those that have died of Covid in Florida correctional facilities were eligible for parole. Early release for people convicted of nonviolent crimes has been a topic of discussion since the virus first struck the US back in March. The theory is releasing some people early will help make it possible for those still incarcerated to be able to social distance. Others point to the fact that incarceration and covid should not lead to a defacto death sentence.
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  2020-08-07

  Violent Offenders Should Be Considered for Early Release

  In this video Phil Melendez discussed the impact of Covid-19 on incarcerated persons and his belief that violent offenders should also be considered for early release to slow the spread of Covid and protect the inmate from receiving a defacto death sentence.
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  2020-05-04

  70% of Texas prisoners tested have the coronavirus. Experts say it's time for more testing and fewer inmates.

  Texas appears to have the worst outbreak of any state prisons across the nation and many relatives of incarcerated people believe the count is low. Inmates fear telling staff they don't feel well, infected and healthy people are taking showers together. As of the articles writing 1% of inmates across the state have been tested and 70% are infected with Covid. Many worry what effect this will have on the larger communities outside the correctional facilities.
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  2020-07-14

  Thousands of Texas prisoners still have the coronavirus. More than 25% of inmates at four units are infected.

  "Two Texas prisons each have more than 670 inmates with active coronavirus infections, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, the highest counts seen at any state lockup since the pandemic began." What makes this Covid so scary in a prison is that if caught it can turn a short sentence into a defacto death sentence. For this reason many advocate early release for nonviolent offenders but Texas Governor Greg Abbott does not agree.
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  2020-07-04

  He was supposed to be in prison less than a year. Instead, he died after catching the coronavirus.

  A former Texas teacher was sentenced to a few months in prison to go through a rehab program after committing repeat DWIs. While incarcerated he contracted Covid and died. Texas has the highest mortality rate in its prisons, higher than even the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
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  2020-08-05

  I'm incarcerated at San Quentin prison for 55 years to life. I didn't think things could get worse until COVID-19.

  This article, written by a currently incarcerated man at San Quentin Prison in California, explains what it is like to be incarcerated during the Covid Pandemic and their lack of information. He asks if it is justice to leave people in prison during the pandemic, explains the stress and helplessness so many feel, talks about the racism that landed many of them in prison, and the very low recidivism rate of lifers.
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  2020-08-06

  Covid becoming a death sentence

  This is the image of a Tweet from a physician expressing her sorrow over the death of an incarcerated person and her belief that incarcerated persons with Covid deserve the same care as anyone else.
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  2020-06-13

  California’s Racial Justice Crisis is COVID-19 in Prisons

  This article, written by three University of California professors, highlights the racial justice crisis inside US prisons. Due to their architecture and systems corrections facilities find it nearly impossible to keep covid-19 out or slow the spread of the disease. In California the incarcerated populations rate of covid is 650 percent higher than that of the general population of the state. Once introduced into a facility covid spreads rapidly due to overcrowding, lack of ability to social distance, and a shortage of soap and other cleaning supplies. While many people in the general public feel that inmates chose to commit a crime and therefor should do their time others argue that they should not be made to die for their crimes due to covid.
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  2020-06-22

  VICE News: Inmates Dying of Covid

  As inmates across the US die, many families are not sure if they have died from covid-19 because inmates are not being tested and finding out after the inmate passes requires families to pay out of pocket for an autopsy. This video follows families in New Jersey, a state whose prison population has been hit hard by covid-19. Covid has shed a light on many inequities across American society and the inequities suffered by inmates and families are terrible in normal times but are even worse due to the pandemic.
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  2020-06-21

  A Father's Sorrow

  Father, Scott Heshinger, expresses his fear of his son dying in prison from covid-19 in a video he posted on Twitter. He brings to light the conversation that is happening among many. The question becomes is it fair or even humane for someone who has been sentenced to spend time in prison end up dying from covid-19? Some have suggested releasing inmates early or moving them from correctional facilities to house arrest. While others argue this puts public safety in jeopardy.
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  2020-05-01

  I Do Not Want to Die in Here, Letters from the Houston Jail

  The architecture and structure of US prisons and jails make it impossible follow any of the guidelines given to slow the spread of the corona virus. Some argue it is prudent to release nonviolent offenders or those nearing the end of their sentences in an effort to provide more space within the facilities. Others oppose this idea citing fear of public safety. Inmates and their advocates worry that a prison sentence could turn into a death sentence. What about persons who have yet to even stand trial? While many people are not aware in the difference between a prison and a jail the distinction is very important. Jails hold people awaiting trial that could not afford bail while prisons are where people convicted of crimes serve their sentence. To be fair there are a small number of people in jails serving their sentence because it is short. With covid looming the question has become is it fair to keep people in jail where they have no defense against a deadly virus? This article discusses this issue and provides excerpts from letters written by inmates at the Harris County Jail in downtown Houston, TX.