Every day we hear about the increase in illnesses and diseases out here. New flu strains. New COVID virus strains. High numbers of new and old respiratory illnesses, many leading to hospitalization and even death. Remember the COVID outbreak in prisons nationwide? The accurate numbers of cases and deaths in prisons, will never be known, but they are definitely higher than reported.

Well, hear me when I tell you that these sicknesses are 100's times worse behind prison walls. The majority of the time, incarcerated persons do not receive the medical care that they need and deserve and there are multiple reasons for that, some of them are: 1) being short-staffed (the go to reason for most things behind the wall) which means limited number of staff to transport the sick person to the prison infirmary; 2) incarcerated persons are told that they are faking just to get out of their cell; 3) many incarcerated persons choose to be sick rather than deal with the harassment and anxiety of trying to receive medical care; 4) when they do receive medical attention, to often it is subpar. My son had the debilitating disease known as "Shingles" and when he was finally taken to the infirmary, the medical staff did not even know what it was. Therefore, he was not adequately treated for this very painful situation.

The prison is a petri dish full of bacteria and germs. Poor ventilation, being locked down in close spaces and unsanitary conditions do not make for a healthy environment. In addition, poor nutritional dietary offerings, minimal vitamin D opportunities aid in making incarcerated persons prime targets for sickness and disease.

A "Family Liaison" inside the prisons would be someone (or a committee) that both incarcerated persons and their loved ones could share their concerns with, consistently.

email your thoughts and concerns to: dpscs.secretaryscruggs@maryland.gov