TV station WLUC reported on October 16th that nearly a quarter of Marquette Branch Prison minimum security inmates have been transferred to Newberry Correctional Facility amid ongoing staffing absences stemming from COVID. Currently 204 inmates have tested positive with COVID. 96 prison staff have also reported positive, the highest in any Michigan correctional facility. [...]
WLUC reported on October 12th that additional correction staff were brought in to assist Marquette Branch Prison (MBP) while it deals with a major COVID outbreak. To assist with the staffing issues, MDOC is bringing in volunteers and members of its Emergency Response Team. Read more: https://www.uppermichiganssource.com/2020/10/12/extra-staff-brought-to-marquette-branch-prison-amid-coronavirus-outbreak/
In an article posted September 25th, michiganradio.org notes the terror and anxiety among prisoners caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. John J. Lennon was a prisoner at Sing Sing Correctional Facility in Ossining, New York. John said that social distancing was impossible. He shared how making calls on prison phones meant being "chest to shoulders" with [...]
A Detroit Free Press article posted on September 19th notes that the ACLU of Michigan is calling on a federal prison to provide free cups to incarcerated people during COVID-19. The ACLU of Michigan wants to prevent the spread of the virus from prisoners using the drinking fountains. Under normal circumstances, prisoners at the [...]
USA Today reported on September 1st that the US Federal prison system will resume inmate visitation starting in October. This change, 7 months after visits were suspended because of the threat of COVID-19, was announced by officials on Tuesday. "We are committed to protecting the health and welfare of those inmates who are entrusted [...]
In a post published August 25th, MichiganRadio.org reports that many Michigan inmates say that they fear punitive responses from state prisons when dealing with COVID-19 and its spread among inmates. Throughout the pandemic, prisoners have raised concerns about how the Michigan Department of Corrections is responding to COVID-19 in the state's prisons. Read and listen to [...]
In an article posted August 21st, 2020, The Detroit Free Press reported that nearly half of the prisoner population at the Muskegon Correctional Facility tested positive for COVID-19. Men incarcerated there told the Free Press they feel it's inevitable that the virus will spread even further behind the prison's walls. They fear for their health and [...]
In an article published August 24, 2020, bridgemi.com reported that, with a new surge of COVID-19 cases in Michigan's prisons, many inmates who test positive are placed in solitary confinement. Since March, the Michigan Department of Corrections has placed inmates who are sick or suspected of being so in solitary confinement — which is normally [...]
The Detroit Free Press reported on August 19th, 2020 that all prison staff are now required to get tested for COVID-19 under an emergency order issued that same day. Weekly testing will be required of employees who work in facilities with positive cases confirmed among prisoners or staff within the last 14 days. Testing in those [...]
A Washington Post editorial posted on August 21, 2020 notes the vulnerability of the prison population in the midst of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic and the uneven efforts nationally to deal with this issue. The authors of the opinion article call for more prisoners to be released for health and safety reasons and to help [...]
