Something Is Going to Explode: When Coronavirus Strikes a Prison – The New York Times

Ronald Morris: The administration screwed up. These inmates were over the Covid-19 virus, but they werent supposed to be released back out there yet, and so when they realized this, they went back an hour and a half later and grabbed em and put them back in the isolation unit. And when they did that, that freaked those inmates out because theyre scared of getting this [expletive], and they thought theyd just released the virus into that unit and contaminated them. The problem was, they didnt educate the inmates on whats going on. Its basic corrections 101, communicating with the inmate population. Go down there and town hall them and educate them. They didnt do that they kicked em out and then jerked them back up, and you think, Oh, hell, they just brought an infected person down here, and now were all going to get this [expletive].

Don Cain, via email: I know one thing is, if I do pass, my family has one heck of a suit.

On April 17, a Bureau of Prisons spokeswoman responded to a detailed request for comment with a statement: We want to point out that following a recent visit to F.C.C. Oakdale, the C.D.C. and the Louisiana Office of Public Health commended F.C.C. Oakdale staff and confirmed their compliance with current C.D.C. guidance for Covid management in correctional facilities. We direct you to our public website for detailed information about how the B.O.P. is taking aggressive steps to mitigate the spread of Covid in all of our facilities, including F.C.C. Oakdale.

Ronald Morris, via text, April 10: Another inmate death six. Positive inmates: 49. Positive staff: 26.

Correctional Officer 1: You dont know. This could be the day that you have a temperature. Or this is going to be the day that you come in contact with somebody thats going to get you sick. Every day when I come home kind of starts my 14 days over, where I cant have contact with my family. Its weighing on my wife, and its weighing on me. Im starting to become a little withdrawn and short. I know that my stress rubs on to her and then rubs off to the kids. And its not just us. Im sure its the health care providers, Im sure its the local parish and state law enforcement, federal law enforcement, firefighters. I mean, we all probably feel the exact same way. We have no choice.

Mayor Paul: We dont have a morgue at the Oakdale hospital. They have run in a portable morgue. Its an 18-wheeler on the loading dock. I understand it is for all the surrounding hospitals if needed.

Correctional Officer 2: Were still releasing inmates if its time for them to be released. When theyre going to leave here, theyre going to get on a Greyhound bus, probably change two or three different buses. Ones going, lets say, to Houston, one is going to Georgia; we send inmates all over the United States. We send inmates to Puerto Rico. We send inmates everywhere. I have brought up that if we know that theyre getting out, then why are we not putting them in quarantine? Because an inmate could not have a fever 12 hours before he leaves, get on a plane or a bus, and as soon as he gets home, he tests positive. Well, then hes contaminated all those people.

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Something Is Going to Explode: When Coronavirus Strikes a Prison - The New York Times