Statements from incarcerated people inside the Wisconsin Prison system, people talking about confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the prisons and and concerns over its anticipated spread.
3/1/20
Now locked up for full week. Inmates should be outside for fresh air. All the more reason to get inmates out ahead of time. Wisconsin is looking for pandemic in the prison system. Main problem, not enough guards. Can’t even go to gym to get haircut.
To many old people at Stanley. Will all die if coronavirus gets in here. Guards should be tested every day they come to work. Right now we are on a sorta lock in for norovirus. !t is in Wisconsin. The first item they will probably do it s shut down visiting. Workers show up every day, coughing, hacking, blowing their noses.. Spreading germs. Its a health hazard waiting to blow. H. S. U. Cannot handle what we have now.
The Secretary Kevin A. Carr has issued an alert and memorandum explaining the upcoming procedures to be followed to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus. So far, inmates personal visits have been cancelled indefinitely and other things of ours, including but not limited to movement, graduations and events, recreation, group activities and other things may be cancelled at a later date. While they specifically warn us about what not to do or to do, washing our hands, avoid touching our eyes, nose and mouth, avoid hand to hand contact such as handshakes, it does NOT tell us that any/all staff will be screened such as having their temperatures taken when entering the institution. Let’s be honest, the only way inmates will get it is by staff neglect/ignorance.
I have written the Health Services Assistant Manager Hannah M. Utter and am waiting for a response, as well as having written the Warden(s) and asked them for a detailed response in how they are going to screen their staff and enforce it. Again, I am awaiting on a response. Do you have an address that I can send correspondence to, so that on receiving a vague or dismissive response as they are prone to give, I can send you the relevant material?
Fox Lake
As if things couldn’t look anymore bleak in here then they already are. the power that be have decided to suspend visiting for the for see able further. this is supposed to help keep the covis 19 virus out of the institutions. But they still have sick staff showing up to work. That’s going to work! Just one more way to isolate us more from the outside world.
NLCI has my unit locked down because of 18 cases of influenza A. I am a unit janitor and all we are given to sanitize is a hydrogen peroxide base cleaner. Hydrogen peroxide (H202) cleans by adding its extra molecule of oxygen to lift bacteria from the surface while the remaining water carries it away. It will not kill a virus, and will only move it around when used alone with water. Added to an acid it will strip gold from base metals…. We are not recycling gold. What we need is plain old bleach! The president declared a national emergency, the governor followed suit. There is around 28,000 prisoners living in prison in Wisconsin, we have a right to sanitation, especially when the coronavirus will be inside by April 1. The CDC recommends hand sanitizers, the DOC denies it. If they can’t give us bleach have the national guard sanitize the prison…. With the declaration of a national emergency it is within the powers of government to do just that. The coronavirus has been killing 5% in a sanitary hospital environment.. So 1400 of us prisoners will die if we were in a hospital environment, prison is filthy. Now is the time to get us the cleaner to keep the virus at bay. Please contact the governor to get us bleach. I feel we need to ask before the storm hits so the families of the 1400 can prove deliberate indifference in the civil suits that will follow.
Confined & Helpless
Wisconsin prison system is a Petri dish/ ses-pool for diseases & viruses. Department of Corrections (DOC) operations at 140%, 6200 people more than facilities are designed to hold. 60 % non violent offenders, 7500 people over 45 years old, all at highest risk of contracting Covid-19.
If Covid-19 hits Corrections , many will perish. DOC, in no way, is prepared or equipped for such an issue. 17 riots in Italy, to let inmates out on conditional release, Iran, (IRAN!!!) actually did it. Wisconsin’s steps to prevent infection in Corrections, 1) STOP INMATE VISITS!!! 2) There is no step 2!! Inmate transfers from Institution to Institution still happening all over the state!! All staff is still coming and going ,carrying Covid-19 to a high concentration of people. What makes staff any less likely to carry and spread the virus that anybody else? Furthermore a high percentage of staff is above 45 years old. What sense does this make? Protocol for DOC in case of pandemic, quarantine! DOC does not have room at 140% operating capacity. Most institutions are old with poor to no ventilation and little chance of containment. Do the non violent offenders deserve such exposure? Do Wisconsinites understand the gravity of this situation? It could be mass murder if this hits Corrections. All to protect society from non violent law breakers. Delinquent child support, repeat DUI/OWI’s, petty drug charges and crimeless revocations!!! That 60 % !! Wisconsinites better think about this and quickly !
Yesterday at 2:45 p.m., it was announced that C-Unit was on “modified operations” due to prisoners showing flu-like symptoms. Who knows when the other two units will be “modified.” I’m in “stock” in B-Unit.
Also, starting this week, the phone company is offering each prisoner two free 15 minute phone calls each week during this Caronavirus period. Sure, it’s probably a tax write-off, but a nice gesture to prisoners who cannot afford to phone in the first place, for the prisoners who cannot work (due to movement restrictions over the pandemic concerns) and for our family and friends who were told not to show up for work on the streets.
Here @ NLCI they have us on Quarantine because some Inmates have the Flu Virus also we as a whole cannot receive Visits basically no Outsiders are allowed in here. Some Inmates are walking around with masks on then they force you to be in the Cell with another sick inmate if he is your cellmate but you clearly show no symptoms. It is against the DOC Quarantine Policy which States that any Inmate that is Quarantined should be separated from everybody including his or her cellmate. I understand space is limited but we as prisoners are treated like caged animals one get sick & by the environment & the lack of Human Decency we all get sick.
Today on Wisconsin public radio had an interview with secretary Kevin A Carr of the DOC. Most of the interview was based around the doc’ s readiness in regard to the covid 19,virus that is spreading around the country. As your readers are likely aware, all doc visits have been suspended, except for professional visits ( attorney visits ) .this is ,and I say this within CCI corr. the best way to prevent infection from reaching us. I’m in agreement with he doc on this. However, during Carr’s interview, he was asked what other preventative actions the doc is implementing, and,his response , so far as is visible here,at Columbia corr. was false in its entirety! Mr. Carr stated that inmates,are receiving literature regarding covid 19. and preventative measures we as inmates should be practicing, such as washing our hands and,other proper hygienic practices. Here at CCI we have received nothing such as this, and in fact have received nothing at all!! we’ve not received anything explaining the symptoms of covid- 19 or what we should do if we are displaying any likelihood of having covid- 19. Mr. Carr gave an elaborate story as to how more cleaning is being done at all doc facilities ,of cleaning common areas has increased from once per day to ” more than once a day”. Well here at CCI cleaning of any sort has not increased whatsoever ! common areas are possibly swept once a day , & moped twice a week. Cell cleaning is offered only twice a month. Showers are not cleaned daily, as twenty guys have to use them on each tear. and while mentioning the showers, I should also point out that we are permitted to shower only four days a week! when asked about what the doc is doing to help inmates and in their families keep in touch now that visits are suspended, Mr. Carr stated that more phone calls are being, permitted through out the doc, of how he pH. company is offering ” free pH. calls ” and how,they are looking into setting up the capability to offer video visits between inmates and their family. I can only speak on the conditions here at CCI , but none off the above has occurred! we are allotted only four pH. calls per week, and if you don’t get through you have to wait two more days to even try again. If at rec or library during your pH. time , then we are forced. to forfeit our pH. privileges, in till the next pH. time in two days. Just a few more months ago we were able to make two, sometimes three,calls per day! And the only time we were given one free pH. call for ten minutes was at Christmas time.
There was never any clear reason as to why,our pH. privileges were taken from us . up until that point , for four years that I’ve been here, pH. calls had always been permitted throughout the day , everyday. As to video visitation , the,capability is already here at CCI, granted only four visitation booths are available. However, if the doc were really intent on keeping us in touch with our loved ones, they could easily offer one hour , or even thirty min video visits. This would make available either 24 or 48. video visits per day and it could easily be stipulated that only one or two video visits could be allowed per inmate per week.
As of today Friday march 13th OSCI has suspended all visitation except for professional visitors due to the coronavirus other areas are being talked about either being limited or suspended until further notice a bunch of us wrote the warden asking for more then 3 phone calls and more then the limit of 5 to allow us to have contact with our family members and loved ones a push on that issue with the phones at this time would be very helpful if you need anymore information please let me know
Kettle Moraine. Heard a bunch of news today. First, all transfers from Dodge have been halted, not sure if that means between institutions too or what. I would think with the overcrowding, minimums would still need to keep their beds full as inmates go home.
Second, they canceled school, rec, and library. With the way this place is set up, smaller units, I’m not sure why one unit can’t go to rec and one to the library for an hour at a time. At least that way you can get a little something every-other day or so. We’re still forced to set at grade-school sized tables, elbow to elbow, to eat our meals but we can’t leave the unit as a group??
I get things need to be done to keep everyone safe but there’s NEVER any warning. I have no library books and now no rec. There’s 4 phones for 66 inmates and the wait time to make a call is about 2½ hours because EVERYONE is using the phone. Now they give us 2-15 minute calls a week while he coronavirus is active which just made it more difficult to get on the phone. The only solution is limiting the number of calls per week, at least until this is over with.
Another update. Unofficial. Fox Lake appears to be under lock down. VOC rec academic and bsi are all closed until further notice.
I HAVE DIABETIS, HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE ANDI USE A OXGEN MACHINE 24,7 HSU HERE AT RCI WILL NOT GIVE ME A MASK. I FEEL THEY ARE NOT DOING ENOUGH TO PROTECT ME.
Its 3-18-20@6:21am A national emergency has been declared, all prisons in the state of Wisconsin has discontinued contact visitors, or any visits for that matter. The WIDOC secretary (Kevin Carr) issued a memorandum (3-13-20) letting it be known they need to take certain precautions to prevent the spread of this virus. HOWEVER, since prisoners can’t have any visits from any outside person, that means the only reasonable way I could contact this virus is through the prison staff getting it or having it and bring it to work with them since they are out there where the virus is, right??? Well, the WIDOC secretary claims that these preventive measures are to protect those in their care, well, WHY AREN’T THEY TESTING WIDOC STAFF FOR CORONAVIRUS??? I have spoken to several staff here at WCI and they all say they just walk into work like they normally have been during this so-called crisis and they have not nor do they get tested for the CORONAVIRUS. Now, I say thats ” FAILURE TO PROTECT ” from a serious virus thats, according to the media, is killing people out there. I filed my internal complaint yesterday. I am not looking to get the virus at all but I’d rather get it from kissing my woman on a contact visit then from a staff member who coughed in my face. If you are going to end our contact visits then you must test your staff who is out there with the same people you believe can bring the virus to the prisoners, how does that not make sense, every staff I’ve talked to agrees with me on that point.
I’m an inmate at WCC, I was working a job in the community. On March 16th all work release was suspended due to the Corona Virus outbreak. Madson is going to collect our paychecks and charge us the full rent due for the month even though our jobs are not closed down, we are not layed off. The DOC is just not allowing us to leave for work. I’m having my people contact Madison about the over charge, inmates in work release centers should only be charged $370 for the month of March, because we were only allowed to work 1/2 the month.
Quarantine is over for flu outbreak at RGCI. Inmate Parker did not die; he had meningitis and is at DCI’s medical ward. His property is still in his room at RGCI. Anthony Stelter at RGCI.
RICHARD SCHMIDLKOFER (253430)
3/19/20
Everyday the units are being disinfected & the school & library. Today I was bless we had Bible study the chaplain did it. School is cancelled until further notice. They still have library & rec not sure how long.
So we are surrounding this stuff in tci the government shut us down no phones ,no visitors no anything…. However, we have plenty people sick on our unit and one whole room is suppose to be locked down status OK so why can they roam around when they want to come in the day areas where other inmate’s are??? So I have now going to the chains of command became I was signed up for laundry at 10:00 am and I came into the laundering room and found out that some one WHO was not allowed out of their room and on quarenteen is now in my washer and their not allowed to Wash in there.so I reported it and I am in the wrong I have to leave them alone OK well if i get sick I will be wanting an attorney because I feel helpless at this time because of the flu and these women are opinion are overall overrated and basically doing whatever they want without a conduct reports. I feel violated at this time because I can’t Even Wash my clothing without a room full of women attacking me verbally with there door wide open with this virus going around when do we get justice? So I have to speak out speaking my feeling in this time because of the flu and I am prone to this stuff because I am taking inhalers for other issues I have asked for a face masks several times at this medical HSU.department and their out or a small supply I have been told however the medical staff has them and the woman who is locked down status have them but who is preventing us others from getting it?????
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