Item

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

Title (Dublin Core)

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

Description (Dublin Core)

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.
jail, incarceration, death sentence, social distance, bail

Date (Dublin Core)

May 1, 2020

Creator (Dublin Core)

Ian MacDougall

Contributor (Dublin Core)

Chris Twing

Event Identifier (Dublin Core)

HST580

Partner (Dublin Core)

Arizona State University

Type (Dublin Core)

article

Link (Bibliographic Ontology)

Publisher (Dublin Core)

ProPublica

Controlled Vocabulary (Dublin Core)

English Emotion
English Government State
English Health & Wellness
English Public Health & Hospitals
English Social Distance

Curator's Tags (Omeka Classic)

jail
#lockedupwithcovid
death sentence
bail
quarantine
inmates

Collection (Dublin Core)

Incarceration
Deathways

Linked Data (Dublin Core)

Date Submitted (Dublin Core)

06/24/2020

Date Modified (Dublin Core)

07/07/2020
01/30/2021
08/02/2022
10/10/2024

Date Created (Dublin Core)

05/01/2020

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Chris Twing Internship Portfolio Linked Data Interactive Resource

This item was submitted on June 24, 2020 by Chris Twing using the form “Share Your Story” on the site “A Journal of the Plague Year”: https://covid-19archive.org/s/archive

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