The Experts
Do you know who the experts are in “sheltering* in place”?
The 2.3 million men, women and children currently warehoused in our prisons, jails and youth facilities.
They know what lock-down means.
They know what social isolation means.
They know what social distancing means.
They know what it is like to live without access to restaurants, coffeehouses, bars, libraries, movie theatres, museums, retail stores.
They know what rationed health care means.
They know what rationed toilet paper means.
They know cabin fever.
They know fear of others.
They know dread, angst, uncertainty
This is their lives. Every. Day.
*If you can call the concrete cages they live in “shelter.”
2 comments
Well spoken, Ms. Kessler. They also have tremendous insight into practices that fly in the face of containment of the virus within the prisons. I spoke to one AIC (the preferred tern these days) who wondered why ODOC is not housing the laundry workers, who do most the laundry from Oregon’s hospitals, in a common housing unit during this crisis rather than allowing them to return to all housing units and expose all their fellow AICs. Good question.
This is so important, Randy. Thanks for passing along this insight and the logical, important recommendation that follows it.
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