DODGE CO, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Depending on who you talk to, you might hear two very different descriptions of the situation inside Wisconsin prisons, as COVID-19 spreads.
The mother of an inmate at Dodge Correctional Institution in Waupun says her son’s cellmate sent her a letter. She spoke with FOX 11 about it off camera, but asked a friend to be a spokesperson on camera.
“She’s very fearful that her son not only will have retaliation for coming forward and talking about this,” Bev Kelley-Miller said. “But also that he won’t get the adequate treatment that he needs because of his immune deficient disorder.”
The letter says no one confirmed the COVID-19 test results of the cellmates, no one has taken their temperatures, their blood pressure, or done anything to provide medical care… “[my cellmate] says he lost his smell, and his body aches. The anxiety of not knowing is killing us and causing undue stress.”
As a prison reform advocate for ACLU and ESTHER-FOX Valley, Kelley-Miller gets this kind of mail all the time.
“I’ve heard too many horror stories from people who are inside, who are ignored on a regular basis. They’re not saying ‘hey, I didn’t do this crime I shouldn’t be here,’ they’re saying ‘I’m sick, I need help’.”
In response to the letter the Department of Corrections says it has healthcare workers committed to their patients, that inmates are generally informed if they’ve tested positive, and that at facilities with large outbreaks, all inmates are treated as if they’ve been exposed to the virus.
“We’ve been doing as much as we can according to CDC and DHS guidelines to try to mitigate the spread at the institution,” Department of Corrections Administrator Makda Fessahaye said.
DOC also wrote:
There is no cure for COVID-19 and no proven therapeutics, so in many cases all that can be done is treat symptoms with pain reliever or fever reducer. If a person needs a level of care greater than we can provide at an institution, that individual is transported to a nearby hospital. It is also an anxious time for our staff, working long hours in difficult conditions.
DOC records show Dodge Correctional had had 235 inmates diagnosed with COVID-19, as of Friday. Two inmates have died. Other state prisons have experienced higher test results. Oshkosh has had 389 positive tests, and Kettle Moraine has had 709.
“This is not an easy time for anyone, especially those that are in our care. We really take that into consideration as we balance our operations and try to make sure that we’re making decisions to keep people safe,” Fessahaye said.
DOC says its early release program has been expanded. Kelley-Miller wants more.
“We’re only asking that non-violent people who were convicted of a crime be released within six months of the release date,” Kelley-Miller said.
Out of the 235 inmates who’ve tested positive at Dodge Correctional, officials say 61 of those cases currently remain active.
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