It’s no secret that jails and prisons are hotspots for COVID-19 outbreaks — in fact, they are death traps.
As of last summer, the COVID-19 case rate in jails and prisons was 5.5 times higher than that of the general U.S. population. Small spaces, overcrowding, and inmate turnover — not to mention the lack of sanitation equipment and personal protective gear — increase the risks to people living in prisons and jails.
Because of racism, colonialism, ableism, and other systems of power that are baked into the criminal-legal system, this horror falls disproportionately on already marginalized people.
Locally, Western Virginia Regional Jail itself reported at least 230 inmate cases as of November — about 25% of the people housed there.
The following is a first-person account of conditions in WVRJ.
This is not public safety. This is not public health. And while conditions can and should be improved, there can be no true justice until the prison-industrial complex is entirely abolished.
Please join us in calling for prisoners to be released from all local jails.
From 12.3.20:
“I’m writing to update you on the conditions here at the regional jail.
From the outside structure, this jail looks like somewhere any human being would die just to walk through and see the interior — to see what all the hype was about 15 or so years ago when this moneymaking scheme was being debated over. When they showed the come-up on late-night television of them dropping the slabs of concrete by crane and lowering beams, that made it all more surreal. There would be over 1,200 inmates, both men and women, occupying this dwelling.
I remember watching it. Telling myself I would never be here, and look at me now. There are some of the best people you can meet in jail. Stories have rumored this place of a lil boy that haunts it at night that lived on this very land hundreds of years ago. People have hung theirselves here. Some have walked through these doors only to never walk out again. [So many people] will at some point be incarcerated, and that doesn’t make a criminal any different from someone who has never saw the likes of a jail cell [or] a pair of handcuffs in their life. But once we enter this place, it is almost as if we are cast off the face of the earth and only known by last name, inmate ID, and case number. We have rights and we deserve better is, well, blah blah blah.
This jail in particular can ridicule, downgrade and criticize a human being without even opening their mouth and, don’t let me forget, laugh in their face at the same time. Upon entry, or may I say the ride here, you’re crammed waist to waist in what they call the “meat wagon” or “patty wagon” because that is just what we are: fresh meat, going to be thawed out and go through the booking progress. And god forbid you give them a hard time, because you will end up in one of the two rooms where everyone can see you and everything that is part of you. You get a green straitjacket, or what we call a “turtle suit,” and three brown bags a day. You fend for yourself from there. Pop a squat and do your business into a drain hole in the floor that the guards flush at their own discretion. Everyone that comes and goes into the facility can view you laying there on the floor, trying to sleep and everything else you may need to do. That is in no way humane. That is what you see: an animal in a kennel. And more than likely the person on the other side of the glass has something simple hindering them from going home… .
Everything here at this jail is swept under the rug because we have no voice and most of these people know it. The guards, the higher authority, and even ourselves know sometimes it does no good to talk, like we are just wasting our breath. But I, along with others, are adamant to get our voices heard. Don’t get me wrong — some of the guards here really do care and will go beyond their means for us. But some roll their eyes, laugh when an inmate is in distress, don’t wanna give us 2 seconds of their time. Medical ignores complaints until people are at their worst, doesn’t give people right meds, takes days to see an inmate, messes up medication.
This COVID situation has been a prime example of the ways they disregard us until we or our family goes to the “big dogs.” We have an orange sign outside of our door that says we are cured. LOL. We’re still receiving meds from something we were diagnosed with a month ago. I have to refuse cold meds. At first they wouldn’t even give them to us. But hey, we are getting Gatorade. I guess that’s supposed to make up for everything they are not doing. If that makes them sleep better at night.
From 12.3.20 (continued):
“The whole jail, from my understanding, has been locked down. No programs. The doctor comes to us. They do everything in the hall, including X-rays. LOL. Trust me, I experienced this firsthand. We got our KN-95 masks yesterday. These are the first real masks we have got thus far. Our meals have dwindled to those the size of a frozen children’s meal from Kroger. We stay hungry, as we can only order $30 at a time in commissary. This has been reduced incredibly from the $150 we are usually allowed. And once again, this is the outcome of COVID, both the trays and the commissary. We hoard food from meals that others refuse to eat for fear of being hungry and not being able to go to sleep.
They do come in throughout the day and spray what we call “COVID killer,” which just smells like bleach to us. But on a good day they spray after all meals and sometimes during the middle of the night. But on the weekends, we barely see them at all.
The men have been allowed to return to normal, including trustee status. They are allowed access to the gym and other jail resources. We women are as yet [restricted] from leaving the pod. Well, late night, we occasionally can come out if we have labs, but that’s the only time I’ve seen the hallways this stay — other than when we were uprooted and moved in the middle of the night because half our pod was suddenly positive for COVID-19.
They keep telling us everything will be going back to normal. But what is normal? I’m not even sure they know.
People are still being released early. For example, my friend left last night and had 2 weeks left. A federal girl was even released and had over a month left.
I am healing greatly from my car accident but have most certainly had to troop it my way this time, because this jail has not helped me at all. I recall being moved from seg to population and I tried to tell the guard i couldn’t walk, my legs were broke (I had a boot on and all, even had a wheelchair by my room), and the guard said “I doubt that, come on, let’s go” as i struggled to stand, and she laughed and rolled her eyes at me. I will keep from using her name, but I won’t never forget how she treated me. It’s like working with children, if you don’t have the patience or are not metally stable, you shouldn’t do it. Same with inmates: You have to be okay mentally and physically to deal with inmates.
They stopped our Gatorade today. We knew it was too good to be true, but some of these people are only a week into being positive for COVID-19 and should still receive the Gatorades. Lord knows there isn’t no circulation in here, and we get dehydrated. Not everyone can appreciate drinking water from the back of a commode that always runs hot. One of the perks that comes with jail. LOL. Anyways, water bubbles through the drains, and you can hear it underground. Therefore, we lay newspaper over them just to reduce the image of sewer water running right next to us. The water is either too hot or too cold in the showers. It’s too much to get it right.
There is so much I could say — so much more, I mean. Ask me anything. I have been coming here for some time off and on and have saw a lot and been through more than enough. Normally, until now, I have been adamant about doing my time and getting out, but this time I want myself and these other women to know this is not all we are valued at and we’re worth more. We have a voice, and it’s someone like you that takes the time to listen. That’s why I say “ask me anything.” Trust me, you can’t make this stuff up. If I would have never saw it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it either.
From 12.29.20:
“Well, we all are still sitting here. The same group of girls, still together. A few left for home and went to seg. But it for the most part is the same ones here in what they call 2F here at the regional jail. We were some of the first to test positive for COVID-19. And now we made it through quarantine and the jail in a complete crisis. Like, they didn’t already know what they were doing, but add a deadly virus running rampant. …
They were not prepared for this pandemic. … Some thought it was a joke. Most of us showed very few signs — “asymptomatic” is what they call it. But based on the fact there are people dying left and right, both in jail and out, I don’t want to be a statistic. They are granting early release, but what happens to the ones that have pending charges, that are waiting on a court date in the midst of this deadly situation? Something has to be done. They said on the news there is a second strand. And we just lay here and wait for attack. It is not fair. I don’t want to die in jail while I’m being held on two petty larceny subsequent offenses. Can y’all spread the word? Can y’all help the ones that are sitting her with no release date [or] even a court date? I’m not a violent criminal. A lot of us aren’t. …
They finally brought us what are called KN-95 masks. Before them, all we had was a basic cloth green mask. We are off pod restriction. They have turned a whole pod into seg or another place to quarantine. Half of the guards either don’t show up for shifts or have showed COVID positive and can’t come in. They are short on help and very overpopulated. People keep getting locked up, and they don’t even have the help to ensure they are cared for properly. It really is sad. The few guards that are here are so overwhelmed. They forget our cleaning supplies. It is a madhouse. Everyone needs to be home with their families at this time, when people’s lives are at risk, not out passin’ this virus around and making it worse.
Testimonies are edited for clarity and length.
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