Governor Tony
Evers
PO Box 7863;
Madison, WI 53707
608-266-1212
info@tonyevers.com
Dear Governor Evers,
I join with many others to ask you to act
quickly to save lives. Contrary to claims by the WIDOC, messages coming
directly from incarcerated friends and relatives state that COVID 19 protocols are
being inadequately followed to varying degrees in all prisons. In WCI and CCI,
the inadequacies seem obvious and dangerous.
Prisoners are in many ways the most vulnerable members of our community
because THEY CANNOT PROTECT THEMSELVES unless we give them the tools.
Many prisoners have been contacting members of activist
groups. They state emphatically that prisons not allowing prisoners to have
their own sanitizers/ or the solution in the sanitizers are so weak as to be
ineffective. . This is a basic requirement whenever there is the threat of
community disease transmission. In addition, indigent prisoners are given used
soap, unwrapped and often filthy, and segregated prisoners are given tiny
plastic packages of soap (size of mustard package) that is supposed to last
days. DOC has misinterpreted a legislative action ( act 355) so even
those who do have incoming money are often kept nearly penniless. All indigent prisoners
and prisoners who request it, should therefore
get new, wrapped and effective soap in adequate amounts..
Additionally, in WCI and CCI where staff have tested
positive and the virus is spreading, woefully inadequate measures are being
taken to reduce the possibility of transmission. Prisoners at the most risk are
clearly afraid. At the end of this letter is a list of some of the latest testimonies
from WCI , CCI , SCI and PDCI . A dramatic statement statement from Harlan
Richards, fine writer and litigator, speaks for Stanley but is true for all our
prisons:
“Stanley is a ticking time bomb of disease,
infection and death. There are hundreds of elderly and immune-compromised
prisoners in Stanley, those most likely to die from COVID-19. How many will be
left in cells to live or die by the strength of their immune system? There are
not enough hospital beds in this rural area to meet the needs of free people.
You can be sure hundreds of infected prisoners will not be transferred to
hospitals for treatment. It is simply not feasible even if there was adequate
bed space.
The
only answer is to implement restrictions before COVID-19 comes to Stanley
because once it does, it will be impossible to manage."
Prisons are each handling the virus in dramatically
different ways. Prairie Du Chien seems to be most on track to reduce or prevent
infection. In contrast, after staff at WCI and CCI tested positive, it is feared that the
guards may be spreading the virus to the
cells, then going home to spread it there. As of this writing, a small amount of
testing has been done but results are not in. We are told there are many
prisoners sick and showing covid like symptoms. One prisoner told us there are 3
quarantined prisoners at the end of his hallway. Without increased testing, covid
19 infection cannot be identified. Are illness and death within the prisoner
population going unreported? If so. I fear this is
intentional. When the public is in the dark about seriousness of what is
happening in the prisons, DOC is not forced to answer outside questions and
respond to outside demands.
Governor Evers, many people have contacted you
individually and I understand that WISDOM and ACLU had an interview with you in
early March. Now that we all see more clearly just how serious this pandemic is,
I feel this is the time for urgency.
Here are links to FFUP reports, reports by prisoners and a scroll
down sampling of prisoners at greatest risk. Please take a look.
4)
Report on how we got to this level of overcrowding and understaffing and loss
of mission
and the way back TORTURE IN WI Prisons
All this and more can also be found on
our blog: www.prisonforum.org
I appeal to you to take action on the following
items:
1)Please act now
to release those prisoners who are most vulnerable to the ravages of the virus
because of age and or preexisting health problems. This includes prisoners over 58 and/or have prexisting conditions that
make them extra vulnerable-
Most have families to go to who are waiting. For those that
don’t ,volunteers can help do the phoning and internet work to make sure the
soon to be released prisoners have healthy and stable place to go.
Studies show that people in prison age about ten years
faster than those outside making 58
“inside” equivalent to 68 “free”.
1)Scroll
down Blog post of a sample of prisoners art most risk:link to wordpress
2) All prisoners need sanitizers in their cells to
use on material coming into the cells and surface cleaning ( 70% alcohol in a
spritzer- very cheap or its equivalent) and good soap ( unused and wrapped).Those
deemed unable to handle such material because of mental illness should be
denied only with due process.
3) All indigent prisoners need to receive unused, wrapped
soap. Also anywho request effective wrapped new soap should receive it,
4) At minimum: test all those reporting symptoms of
the virus and test all inmates in prisons where the virus has been confirmed in
staff- WCI and CCI
5) Public disclosure of all who are ill with Covid like
symptoms where there is no testing , of all who test positive where there
is testing, all who go to the hospital and all who die.
6) Serious consideration taken of prisoners’ complaints of
Guard abuse of protocol. Deploy National Guard to oversee guards in prisons where abuses continue.
7) Release ALL prisoners over 58 and/or have prexisting conditions
that make them extra vulnerable-
Most have families to go to who are waiting. For those that
don’t ,volunteers can help do the phoning and internet work to make sure the
soon to be released prisoners have healthy and stable place to go.
8) REAL DISCUSSIONS on ending the overcrowding and
understaffing that makes this virus so dangerous must begin with focus on
releasing all those eligible, ending revocations without felonies and creating
an environment that makes prisons an attractive place to work for people who
want to help.
Governor Evers, I know from hearing your campaign speeches that
you are aware of the need for improved conditions in our prisons. I ask you to
help, for there is urgent need to protect the lives of prisoner. You and
possibly DOC Secretary Carr, are the only people in state administration who
can act with necessary speed. Prisoners are in prison for punishment. This was
not supposed to be a death sentence. These are abandoned and forgotten people.
Even with all safety measure in place and wise releases, the virus will take
its toll. We do not have to add to the numbers and heartache with negligence.
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