Inmate details poor COVID-19 prison conditions in striking video
A man in disguise claiming to be at the Jessup Correctional Institution says the incarcerated do not have access to cleaning supplies and tissue, among other concerns
In a disturbing video allegedly filmed inside of Jessup Correctional Institution in Maryland, an inmate is seen repeatedly pleading for help. The video was posted on Instagram.
“They are killing us down here. They are not giving us the proper cleaning supplies to clean ourselves. We are not cleaning ourselves at all,” the man says. His face is completely obscured with clothing. “They have not giving us a proper cell cleaning. We don’t have tissue in our cells. We have no cleaning supplies.”
The man explains that inmates are being housed in various parts of the maximum-security prison including the library, which, he says has no windows that open.
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“We have vents with no blowers. Our f**king floors are sweating. We need help, man,” he says, “They are violating our rights.” He says that inmates are being met with retaliation when they try to complain.
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“Police are coming in our cells, touching our property, they are still giving us cell searches. When the governor (Larry Hogan) said they are supposed to stop coming into our cells,” the man explains that it is corrections officers who are infecting inmates.
“They are the ones bringing this to us,” he said, “We need help, man.”
A request for comment by theGrio to the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services to authenticate and comment on the video was not immediately returned.
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The department reported in early May a total of 290 confirmed cases of the coronavirus within its system, including the deaths of four inmates.
Those numbers have not been updated in weeks.
A tally by The Marshall Project tracks COVID-19 infections in prisons. According to their list, there are 145 cases of the pandemic in Maryland prisons with 77 deaths. According to the project, there have been at least 34,584 cases of coronavirus reported among prisoners.
“We need help, man,” the incarcerated man continues to plead, “They are giving us Skype visits for 15 minutes. We haven’t seen our family in 90 f**king days. We need help, man. This is our last call for help.”
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