A.G. Gancarski
In Florida prisons, the battle against coronavirus is a race against time.
Twelve staffers in ten correctional facilities have COVID-19, and prisons are potential flashpoints for community spread, with health care systems uniquely ill-equipped to address severe cases.
In that context, Democrats again appealed to Gov. Ron DeSantis to do something for Florida’s 96,000 state prisoners. Before it’s too late.
Congresswoman Kathy Castor urged “DeSantis and FDOC to implement a plan to keep people safe before the spread of COVID-19 becomes worse in our prison system.”
“Public health experts are advising state officials to take appropriate steps in prisons and other places where the virus can quickly take hold. I am concerned about those who are incarcerated and those who work in prisons,” Castor added.
“It is difficult because they often are not in position to practice the social distancing that our public health officials tell us is critical. There is no time to waste,” Castor asserted, “and I call on the governor to move decisively to safeguard both the health of correctional officers and inmates.”
Rep, Dianne Hart said that “inmates are placed at a greater risk of catching the coronavirus due to the fact that they are in close quarters.”
“If this virus spreads throughout our facilities, we will see more deaths and more strain on our already overwhelmed medical system,” Hart added.
The asks from Castor and Hart include compassionate medical release for inmates with pre-existing conditions that would make them susceptible to the virus.
Especially of interest: “all medically ill inmates that do not pose a threat to the community who have lung, breathing, and respiratory conditions that are prone to, or susceptible to, lung diseases and or airborne illnesses” and “inmates with deteriorating mental and physical health.”
Reformers have continued to sound the call for humanitarian release of patients who may be sitting ducks for the virus. Thus far. however, prisoners have not been the Governor’s priority in managing this crisis.
One comment
B.G. Monroe
April 1, 2020 at 2:42 pm
Based on the statement annotated on the FDOC, they are prepared for such an outbreak. This does/did not seem to hold true for the Hepatitis C issue, nor the ravishing hurricane that recently caused mass destruction and disruption within the FDOC. I find it to be of great interest that 12 corrections officers have tested positively, yet no inmates, per the FDOC’s webpage. Have any inmates been tested? It is all simply absurd. There is no compassion nor grace for this subset of our population, especially in “the sunshine state”.
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