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To the editor:
I am writing to you as an inmate at the Elkton Federal Correction Institution. Many inmates are justifiably scared and concerned about the conditions and procedures that the Bureau of Prisons is fostering and conducting here at this and other facilities. I hope that you read this letter and do some questioning of how the BOP is handling this corona virus pandemic situation.
We have been in a modified "lockdown" situation for the past two weeks (editor's note: letter dated March 29). Every day is different. The restrictions have been increasing daily as are the probable corona cases that are here in the prison. We have estimated there are at least 50 inmates who have been placed in quarantine with high fevers and corona symptoms.
They have cleaned out the Special Housing Unit (SHU) where they keep disciplinary inmates to be used as a quarantine. Although they have been placing inmates in the SHU, they are claiming that there is no corona virus in the prison. To our knowledge, they have not done any swab testing of inmates. So how would they know?
The health service orderlies (inmates who help health services/clean up after sick inmates go to the SHU) are reporting some inmates have already gone to the hospital and that they are preparing the gym and visitation areas for quarantine overflow.
The conditions here are ripe for massive spread of the contagion. There is no soap or hand sanitizer in the communal bathrooms. The inmates are not given any sanitizer to use in their personal areas. The shared surfaces such as door handles, phones, tables, etc. are cleaned once daily at best. The prison was built to handle 1,200 inmates but there are more than 2,000 here currently.
Because of overcrowding, I sleep within six feet of 10 others inmates. This place is a Petri dish and with over half of the population being here elderly or with health issues, the risk to life is immense.
Additionally, the BOP staff members are not wearing any PPE and are currently coming and going, placing the larger community at risk. Please investigate the situation here and determine why the BOP does not seem to be overly concerned with anyone's health or safety and are not testing for corona.
TRAVIS BARRETT,
Reg # 16923027,
Federal Correction Institution Elkton