Above photo: From Prison Policy Initiative.
The Coronavirus pandemic has had a dramatic impact on the lives of people all over the world, especially those in prison. While the CDC has posted their recommendations for all people to follow, prisoners have no freedom to protect themselves from the spread. People in prison are limited in their ability to keep a safe distance from others, receive medical care, keep in contact with their loved ones or even get access to preventative products like hand sanitizers and soaps.
The situation in prison is getting worse by the week. Over the past month, the number of cases in prison have more than doubled each week. In order to adequately address this critically dangerous situation, we must shift from expecting prison officials to manage overcrowded populations to passing immediate aggressive policies that will dramatically reduce the number of people in prison to more manageable levels.
Limited Options
As I’ve reported before out of the five practices that the CDC recommends in order to keep oneself safe during the quarantine there are only a few that people in prison have the ability to do effectively: wash hands often, don’t touch your face and cough into your elbow. Unfortunately, these practices, even if they are used consistently, are negated by the fact that prisoners are unable to keep a safe distance from one another in the overcrowded environments, do not have regular access to supplies to keep surfaces clean and do not have the freedom to self-quarantine at home.
To address this, there are been several campaigns hosted by outside networks to persuade public and elected officials to take action: from governors to take advantage of their clemency power, to Corrections Dept. Directors to implement sweeping policies that would free up space in their facilities. Rather than doing this the majority of decisionmakers have leaned on prison staff to make minor changes in operating procedures in response to crisis conditions. Rather than protecting and providing relief to imprisoned populations, these changes have actually played into people’s fears, contributing to rising numbers of infected persons and applying more punitive measures that do nothing to actually reduce the spread of the coronavirus.
Limited Movement
In a failed attempt to accommodate the 6-ft recommendation of the CDC, corrections departments are attempting to manufacture more space in common areas by limiting people’s movement in, out and throughout the prisons. This began with visitation privileges revoked from prisoners and their families across the country. I was on my way for a visit when I received a call from my ride about the change in policy. Rather than holding excited visitors, visiting rooms and lobby areas have been transformed into quarantine spaces. In Michigan, the week that visits were cut from the program there were only three cases of staff in Macomb and Parnell CF. Since then with no visitors coming in or out of the prison, cases have doubled each week to over 250 cases in over a dozen facilities!
This decision has been followed by cutting nonessential personnel from the schedule. These cuts include volunteers, recreational programming facilitators, teachers, and even the ombudsman. These cuts made it impossible for people in prison to engage in activities that could help decrease fear and anxiety. The lack of scheduling made movement near impossible. Now there weren’t any visits, no classes and limited staff to accommodate programming which increased lockdowns type conditions. Prisoners were spending 20+ hours in their cell each day and when movement was allowed it was in much smaller numbers: less people were allowed in the cafeteria, dayroom and yard meaning less time to eat, shower or wash your hands and handle daily business.
Limited Communication
The conditions of limited movement contribute to limited outside communication. People in prison have less opportunities to communicate with their loved ones on the outside. They do not have as much time to wait in line for the phone or send an email, while there are even more people trying to do so in the midst of the crisis. While companies like global tel link and Jpay have recently changed their policies, it does little to nothing to provide relief to people in prison with limited options. GTL has allocated two free five-minute phone calls to prisoners in several states, including Michigan. While many states have negotiated policies with their phone and email communication providers, the lack of movement gives people less access to the telephones, Jpay kiosks and other equipment required to send outside communication.
The couple of extra stamps and ten minutes of free talking time by the week do little to nothing to provide relief to people in prison. During a time of crisis, people need to be connected to their families. The anxiety that people in prison face as they await the next chance to check in with a loved one has a heavy psychological toll, a prisoner at Thumb Correctional Facility shares, “We are just scared in here to die in prison, and to lose a family member.” People should not have to choose whether to check in with their child versus their parents or even their lawyer versus their potential employer when they make a call during the pandemic, why should people in prison be any different? If we want people in prison to be able to maintain their physical and psychological health we must provide free phone calls to them and their families, people should not be struggling to afford to stay connected during their crisis.
Limited Resources
Prisons, by design, are the perfect breeding ground for the spread of infectious disease. A person incarcerated in MDOC shares, “Prison is the perfect host for incubation for a virus such as covid-19. Everything here from stainless steel, plastic, cardboard, unventilated air, you name it, this virus couldn’t find a better place thrive.” With prisons functioning as a breeding ground for the virus to multiply, officials should have distributed supplies to aid in prevention of the spread. Sadly, prisoners have very limited access to masks, gloves or test kits.
In preparation for cases to impact facilities, very prison has allocated space for people who’ve contracted the virus. These spaces have ranged from an area of cells within a unit to the once visiting room. Prisoners are being placed on quarantine without any access to their personal items, no outside communication and with no notice to their families or outside support networks. With these restrictions, the conditions of quarantine are even more severe than that of solitary confinement. This makes it much less likely for people in prison to seek out medical attention quickly, contributing to the spread. Prisons are quickly running out of quarantine spaces to deal with the issue.
This lack of space is causing facilities to boil over the brim. We saw this happen at Parnell Correctional Facility where one of the first few cases behind prison walls was recorded. Three weeks later, after over 150 cases were reported officials decided to move 60 individuals from Parnell to Gus Harrison Correctional Facility, where there had been no reported cases. When questioned prison staff reported that they had no more room for ill prisoners at Parnell. This decision was followed by four new cases of covid being confirmed at Gus Harrison, placing hundreds of lives at risk at the once “clean” facility.
Prisons are no place for a pandemic
No facility of incarceration can safely exist during a health crisis, their existence only works to extend the crisis. Understanding this, organizers took to Twitter to amplify the need for transformative change in Departments of Corrections all over the country, especially in Michigan where truth-in-sentencing laws make sweeping releases nearly impossible. Supporters around the nation called on decisionmakers Gov. Whitmer and Director Washington to consider the recommendations of a coalition of organizations including AFSC-MI, Citizens for Prison Reform, Detroit Justice Center, Family AdvisoryBoard, Humanity for Prisoners, MI-CURE, Michigan Liberation, Michigan Prisoner Rehabilitation Credit Act, Michigan Protection and Advocacy Service, Inc. Nation Outside and the National Association of Social Workers-Michigan. They were able to get thousands of people to tweet #LetMiPeopleGo, making their campaign rise to #1 on Michigan’s top trending list.
Building on this momentum from Tuesday’s twitter storm, on Thursday, April 16th organizers in Michigan called for a #Drive4Life Demonstration outside of Lansing’s Capitol Building. Participants are instructed to meet at 500 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd in Lansing at 12:30p before driving together to the state capitol at 1:00p. Participants are also instructed to stay inside of their cars during the demonstration but they can connect with organizers to receive materials, like flyers, newsletters and MPRCA petition sheets by request.