IDOC Watch Statement at the Peoples’ Press Conference at the Indiana Statehouse, Tuesday, May 19
At least 627 people incarcerated in Indiana prisons have now tested positive for COVID-19, 50% of those tested. 17 humans the state is keeping in cages have died of the disease, as have 2 IDOC staff. At Westville Correctional Facility (WCF), in April, 92% of incarcerated people who were tested for the virus were positive. There have been several protests at Indiana prisons and jails in the last month, and rebellions in 3 prisons. The National Guard has been called in to assist the DOC in managing the crisis. The Department of Corrections and some county jails have failed to release people and reduce overcrowding, thereby ensuring the rapid spread of COVID-19. Now, IDOC and Governor Holcomb are trying to cover up the fact that they are killing people. The first person confirmed by IDOC to have died of COVID-19 in an Indiana prison, Scottie Edwards, was 73 and had less than a year left to serve on his prison sentence.
Social distancing is impossible in prisons. Since COVID-19 spreads prior to symptoms showing, without social distancing or mass testing, there is no way to stop the spread. COVID-19’s deadliness increases in relation to the intensity of exposure. In prisons, many people will be infected simultaneously due to the close quarters, so the intensity of exposure will also grow. 100,000 incarcerated people are predicted to die in the US during this wave COVID-19.
In March, a plan was submitted to all three branches of Indiana’s government that provided for the release of all people incarcerated in Indiana prisons who had less than a year left to serve. Approximately 25% of Indiana’s prison population, over 6000 people, has less than a year left to serve on their sentence. The American Civil Liberties Union and National Lawyers’ Guild filed petitions and submitted recommendations to the Supreme Court and Governor, calling for mass release. Faith in Indiana, the American Friends Service Committee, and Unitarian Universalist congregations of Indiana, and the Free them All Coalition are organizing for mass release. Thousands of people have called and written to the Governor, IDOC Commissioner, and courts, asking for mass release.
The Governor, IDOC, and Supreme Court of Indiana each claim they do not have the authority to release people, and they are all lying. The truth is, they all have the power to release people. According to the law, all of them must agree to a petition for clemency or pardon. So, just as they have agreed among themselves to lie about their power to release people, they could instead agree among themselves to release people.
IDOC is lying about the numbers of people in it’s cages who are being infected and dying from COVID-19 – we know this because people inside the prisons have told us what’s really going one!
The IDOC Response and Preparedness Plan for COVID-19 entirely fails to account for pre-symptomatic spread. The masks that incarcerated people were given tear when washed, and they’re only given one. People are being denied medical care, including mental health medication, showers and soap, and cleaning supplies. There is no hot water in some prisons. Officers are moving between units that are in quarantine and ones that aren’t, not wearing masks, and working without PPE. Prisons have been on extended lockdowns during which people are not allowed any recreation, and access to water and toilets has been denied.
Why are IDOC and Governor Holcomb lying about COVID-19 in the prisons, except to cover up the fact they’re killing people?
The Free Them All Coalition is composed of grassroots groups around the state of Indiana who have come together to fight for mass release from Indiana’s prisons, jails, and detention centers due to the threat posed by COVID-19. We have been organizing protests at various detention facilities, and we won’t stop fighting until our people are freed!
If we want anyone to be freed, we need to fight together for all our loved ones to be freed – that’s what free them all means! We don’t need to be arguing about who does or doesn’t deserve to be freed, when they are all facing an unjustified death sentence. If we fight together for all our loved ones to be freed, it will have the best results for everyone because we will be able to apply more pressure.
These are the demands of the Free Them All Coalition, to the State of Indiana:
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Release everyone in IDOC custody who has less than a year left to serve on their sentence, over 6000 people, immediately.
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All sheriffs and county jails must stop cooperating with ICE, and release everyone detained on immigration holds.
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Release everyone who is in prison or jail on a technical parole violation immediately.
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Release people who are elderly or vulnerable to COVID-19 due to underlying health conditions
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Release everyone detained pre-trial because they can’t pay bail
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Provide temporary housing for those released using federal COVID-19 stimulus funds, so that those released can quarantine themselves for two weeks.
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Free medical care for everyone who remains incarcerated
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Free communication (video visits, GTL messaging, and phone calls) for everyone who remains incarcerated
Today, we are announcing a new demand: The Indiana State Department of Health needs to investigate the death of every person who has died of COVID-19 in IDOC custody, and investigate IDOC & Governor Holcomb’s handling of the pandemic in the prisons in general!
We are launching a campaign to pressure the Department of Health to carry out a full and thorough investigation, beginning immediately! Visit this Facebook event for more details.
Peoples’ Press Conference Flyer