Items

• 
  2020-09-27

  Tweets from Inside a Prison 09/27-10/03/2020 by Railroad Underground

  These images show the Tweets of an incarcerated person utilizing a contraband cell phone to let the outside world know about prison conditions during the pandemic. This week he talks about the ability of incarcerated people to vote would cause them to be treated better, living like a caged animal, lockdown, going outside, mental health, watching presidential debates in prison, a second Covid outbreak happening in his prison, how important family connection is, incarcerated people are eligible for a stimulus check, people of color being the majority of incarcerated people and the majority of Covid deaths, difference of sentencing of white and black people,
• 
  2020-09-26

  The Cost of Prison Phone Calls Prevents Family Communication, Especially During Covid

  Phone calls from incarcerated persons to their families has always been expensive but what many don't realize is that the pandemic has made it even worse. Back in March when much of the nation shut down to prevent the spread of Covid-19 the nations correctional facilities closed as well. Families could not longer visit their loved ones. There have been times when phone calls were also stopped because of the transmission possible through sharing phones and just having people out of their cells. But once phone calls were allowed families faced a new crisis, being able to afford the phone calls. Fees for phone calls from an incarcerated person are charged to the recipient of the call or to the prisoners personal account and cost a lot per minute. With so many people out of work due to the pandemic families are faced with the decision to speak with their incarcerated loved one or buy groceries or pay the rent. This article shares the story of one mother and the impossible decision she is faced with every time her phone displays a call from her incarcerated husband.
• 
  2020-08-30

  Tweets from Inside a Prison 08/30-09/05/2020 by Railroad Underground

  These images show the Tweets of an incarcerated person utilizing a contraband cell phone to let the outside world know about prison conditions during the pandemic. This week he talks about forever loosing his right to vote because he is now a felon, the logic of incarceration where people are told everyday how worthless they are as a way to make them "fit" into society, the daily request he receives to send or receive messages on his contraband cell phone, that the phone represents hope, a dream about Donald Trump, he never had role models growing up but now has them inside prison and they are other incarcerated people, and his greatest fear is not knowing. He says that used to relate to not knowing when he would get out, or if his parents would die before he is released but Covid has changed this into not knowing when he will be allowed to shower or get a bar of soap.
• 
  2020-05-11

  Coping With COVID-19 Crisis: Jule Hall & Lynn Novick On The Devastating Impact On Prison Education Depicted In Docuseries ‘College Behind Bars’

  Once the covid pandemic settled in across the nation it was obvious that schools, preschool through university, had to be shut down. Many schools turned to online instruction and learning but this presented a problem for a large number of students who don't have the hardware or access to an internet connection. One population you wouldn't expect to also struggle with this issue are prisons. Many prisons across the country offer college to inmates. Conducted by professors who visit the prison to provide instruction. As a precaution to lessen the introduction of the virus into the prison many facilities stopped visitors including the college professors. This article discusses how this has impacted the inmates. ASU, HST580
• 
  2020-04-19

  Prison in the Time of Coronavirus

  This video, produced by CBS Sunday Morning, illustrates the unique problems created by coronavirus inside America's jails and prisons. The US currently has 2.3 million people incarcerated. Many of them are in jail awaiting trial and remain there only because they cannot pay their bail. They have not yet been convicted of a crime. As they point out in the video it is easy for the public to ignore the correctional facilities across the country, but the spread of the virus has changed this. An outbreak in prison can lead to an outbreak outside the prison. While prisons have internal medical facilities there are no ICU beds, which are often needed to treat severe cases of coronavirus. Instead severely ill prisoners are taken outside of the prison to the local hospital. In non-severe cases some prisoners are placed in solitary confinement as a way to quarantine them. This video, almost eight minutes long, mentions Rikers Island Jail in New York, San Quinton Prison in San Francisco, Marion Correctional Institute in Ohio, a Tampa man released early who is charged with murdering someone the following day, Governor Greg Abbott of Texas, Orange is the New Black (book and TV show), and the podcast Ear Hustle. HST580, ASU
• 
  2020-04-06

  Prisoner afraid to leave dorm because of covid

  This video shows still images of a jail with an audio interview of an inmate expressing his fear of the virus, causing him not to leave his bunk.
• 
  2020-06-04

  Supreme Court blocks order to remove inmates at prison infected with COVID-19

  This article from NBC News covers the Supreme Courts ruling, blocking the release of 800 incarcerated persons from the Elkton Federal Correctional Institution, near Canton, Ohio.
• 
  2020-05-21

  Covid-19's Impact on People in Prison

  This article from the Equal Justice Initiative covers the unique concerns covid causes for incarcerated people. HST580, ASU
• 
  2020-04-18

  Interviews inside a covid positive prison

  This article interviews inmates, family of inmates, employees, and officials from the Federal Correctional Complex in Oakdale, Louisiana. The interviews were conducted orally, written, over text, and social media. Both the employees and inmates tell a story of an ill prepared system, though the prison claims to have begun preparing in January.
• 
  2020-03-30

  ‘Jails Are Petri Dishes’

  As the US faced the real threat of the coronavirus it became clear that "jails are petri dishes." Due to overcrowding and the large number of people that go in and out of the buildings daily it is impossible to stop the virus from coming in and spreading rapidly. Government and prison officials began discussing early release or releasing those still awaiting trial, particularly for nonviolent offenses. As with the rest of the nation the fear is that the virus will spread so quickly that the nations medical system will be overwhelmed. The same is true within the prison but the fear is that the inmates and employees of the prisons will add to the medical crises outside the prison.
• 
  2020-05-26

  Inmates claim their symptoms are ignored

  In prison social distancing is impossible. Once covid enters a prison many become infected quickly. Inmates are saying their efforts to obtain medical care are being ignored and families are not being notified when their inmates become ill. Instead they are only being notified once their inmate has died from the virus.
• 
  2020-05-14

  Prison population remains stable during pandemic

  In response to the inability to social distance within prisons government and prison officials have considered releasing some inmates early to slow the spread of the virus but this article states that has not happened. It points to the officials fear of inmates released early committing a crime.
• 
  2020-05-29

  Are inmates attempting to infect themselves to gain early release?

  One response to the pandemic in the US has been to consider releasing some prison inmates early to quell the spread of the virus within the prison population. This is a valid strategy because social distancing in a prison is impossible. In this video it appears that inmates are all sharing a cup in an attempt to infect themselves. Is that what is actually happening? Are they doing this in hopes that they will be released?
• 
  2020-05-26

  California prison begins testing all employees

  Testing or lack there of has been a big part of the news cycle since covid reached the U.S. In the beginning a person could only gain access to a test if they met certain criteria. This severely limited the number of people tested and was done because the number of tests available was very low. Even people deemed essential workers, such as those working in the nations prison system, had trouble accessing tests.
• 
  2020-04-29

  Over 70% of tested inmates in federal prisons have COVID-19

  The pandemic quickly saw the phrase "social distance" become common parlance however there are populations that cannot social distance and one of them is prisons. Without the ability to social distance or wear a mask, the only options for fighting the spread of this virus, the prison populations are particularly at risk to contract the virus. This news story explains that of those tested (which aren't many) 70% are covid positive. Additionally, it sheds light on the fact that when prisoners contract the virus their families are not being notified. #hst580 #asu
• 
  2020-05-01

  View of Orleans Parish Prison During May Day Protest, New Orleans, LA

  A view of Orleans Parish Prison (OPP) from the May Day Protest. People inside of the prison waved to the procession as they honked their horns. One of the demands of the protest was to evacuate prisoners from OPP during COVID-19 to prevent them from being exposed to the virus. In observance of May Day, the international workers' rights holiday, New Orleans Hospitality Workers Alliance organized a socially-distanced protest that included bikes and cars. The protestors' demands included free healthcare and testing for hospitality workers, hazard pay and access to protective gear, housing as a human right, freeing incarcerated people, and unemployment assistance through the end of 2020.
• 
  2020-04-17

  Petition to Help Louisiana's Incarcerated Youth During COVID-19

  A charge.org petition to improve conditions for incarcerated youth in Louisiana during the COVID-19 Pandemic.