Anne is a mother from Florida who worries about her 25-year-old son, who contracted the coronavirus in prison. She talks about the conditions he and other people inside endured during their quarantine period. Submission by, Anne Amended Transcription of Audio: My son was arrested at age 14 in the worst county in the worst state […]

Back in March, officials at a prison in Bastrop, Texas told a woman we’ll call Mindy that her brother would be released for home confinement due to his underlying conditions – high blood pressure and diabetes. But as late as December, Mindy’s brother had yet to be released. And COVID-19 continued raging through the facility. […]

Marylin McCarty and Kirsten Darby of the Just Future Project in Virginia discuss the injustice of the process of Civil Commitment of people who committed sex offenses after they’ve served the length of their sentences. McCarty and Darby talk about the inhumane conditions in Virginia Center for Behavioral Rehabilitation (VCBR), especially during Covid-19. Transcription of […]

A mother talks about her diabetic son’s treatment at the Terrell Unit in Rosharon, Texas. He complained about insufficient medical care and lack of access to safe food, and he was retaliated against. Audio Submission by, Anonymous Amended Transcription of Audio: He has been retaliated against. The guards, you know, have kind of put a […]

A schoolteacher in Texas talks about her fiancee’s experience inside the Darrington Unit in Rosharon, Texas during the pandemic. She discusses how he was treated when he got COVID-19 and the lack of COVID safety among guards. Audio Submission by, Anonymous Amended Transcription of Audio: My fiancee is at the Darrington Unit in Rosharon, Texas. […]

Links to COVID-19 prisoner rights protests nationwide The following is a glimpse of news coverage from protests and lawsuits about COVID-19 in prisons and jail. More will be added as they are gathered.  TX https://www.themarshallproject.org/2020/12/13/prison-fires https://www.law360.com/access-to-justice/articles/1338637/inmates-face-uphill-climb-for-virus-outbreak-relief CA https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article244517132.html WI https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/2020/11/24/protesters-evers-should-reduce-prison-population-amid-covid-outbreak/6405252002/ WA https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/04/09/830450210/inmates-in-washington-state-protest-after-fellow-prisoners-test-positive-for-cov UT https://www.sltrib.com/news/2020/10/13/family-members-protest/ MN https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2020/11/08/protesters-rally-outside-stillwater-prison-after-fatal-covid-outbreak-prisoners-lives-also-matter/ CT https://ctmirror.org/2020/04/06/a-noisy-protest-then-prison-chief-confirms-he-has-been-reducing-inmate-population/ NJ https://whyy.org/articles/why-cant-they-bring-him-home-families-with-incarcerated-loved-ones-worry-about-covid-19-spike-in-camden-jail/ FL https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/protesters-seek-change-to-inhumane-conditions-in-federal-prison-in-pandemic/2267633/ https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/florida-man-encases-arms-concrete-protest-prison-conditions-during-pandemic-n1186886 https://www.wctv.tv/content/news/Drive-by-protest-for-inmate-safety-circles-Florida-State-Capital–569608701.html

An inmate’s fiance talks about conditions in Nebraska State Penitentiary and where he’s located now – Tecumseh State Correctional. She says he’s afraid he’ll get COVID, given his age (60) and high blood pressure and the explosion of COVID cases in his former and current facilities. Audio Submission By, Anonymous Amended Transcription of Audio: My […]

A mother worries about her son, who’s been incarcerated in Iowa for 21 years, after the men in the cell next to him get COVID-19. She voices concerns about the lack of sanitation and nutritious food, but she’s afraid to speak out for fear of retaliation from the system. Submission By, Anonymous Mother Amended Transcription […]

Paul Tardie of the Inside Books Project and author of Inside: Dissecting a County Jail, talks about his old cellmate’s experience in Turner Trousdale Correctional throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Tardie talks about his friend’s long-term health impacts from COVID and how the system at large needs to change. Audio Submission By, Paul Tardie Amended Transcript […]

Audio Submission By, Renee Dagley About Ricardo Peña III Amended Audio Transcription My fiance, he’s been incarcerated 12 years on a 30 year sentence. He’s a Coffield Unit in Tennessee Colony, Texas, and they’re not doing anything for the covid. They’re not social distancing. For shower-time, they’ve got three hundred men in a shower at […]