"No bathroom, no water, no exit": Pandemic Conditions at Indiana Womens Prison

We received the testimony below from a comrade incarcerated at Indiana Womens Prison (IWP). Please join us this Saturday (4/25) at IWP for the Release Them Now! Car Demonstration, starting at 2pm at Ben Davis Park.

Conditions at IWP

04/11/2020

It is midnight. We have been denied access to water and toilets since 8:15pm. It will still be another half hour. C/o lowry wont let all inmates use the restrooms fairly and it has caused major issues. She thinks we are the troubled unit she normally works on and provokes us. She doesn’t care we have to use the bathroom. She applies the rules unfairly and discriminatorily. The lieutenant informed me very rudely and provoking that, even if ppl cook in a microwave, no one else on the unit is allowed to use the restroom during their cooking time. So, only on this bracket, with c/o Lowry has it been extreme chaos in 3 to 4 days. That is because of the application of the rules and interpretation on this shift. We are locked in the cell for 12 days now. It is so hard when the c/o lowry allowed 3 girls to run up to fight another girl, and the c/o ran up too. That's crazy that c/o's are picking sides in arguments that they allow to start from their unfairness and favortism. Then, they pick sides along unfair lines and promote violence. The Lt. Williams then feels it necessary to further provoke instead of make things better. She did not care at all that we have gone, now 4 hours without using the restroom. The Lt. also said for us to get CAB's for knocking on the doors, yet we have no emergency buttons, and are not self-contained. This shift is saying only one room is allowed out on the unit at a time. Period. Regardless if one room takes a half hour, the rest of us cannot use the bathroom or get water. Even with these punishments, we still use the same bathrooms and no cleaning of them for days! And no bleach! Ppl are sick here and stuck in they rooms. Thanks for listening. It is rough. I have cramps from not being allowed to use the restroom and get water.

04/14/2020

Not only are incarcerated ppl dealing with covid-19 worries, being forced by nature of "their debt to society" to live on top of 100 other ppl with no levels of separation possible, but also the increase in living conditions that cause the degradation of the human spirit. The Governor says these are "the safest places". When social distancing mandates hit America and Indiana, we didn't get any information until the first 14 days was almost over. We were not privy to distancing, working at our prison jobs and eating in communal chow halls. Nonetheless, the living conditions on unit have prevented the ability to distance from others while denying us the ability to exercise or have space outside of our immediate living quarters. ( an hour mandated by federal law). Of course the course has been threatening and punitive...one c/o telling a woman who had to urinate, " i will drag you down the hall." Numerous times we have been locked in cells and denied exit because the c/o is mad at someone in the room; no bathroom, no water...no exit. Communication channels initially cut off: even outgoing mail stated by a Sgt. to having been suspended. Wifi shut off. No phone or email communication initially. Certain c/o's taking the communication devices to show us what misery feels like because somewhere along the line we and I have conducted myself to deserve this torture. Adding insult to injury, they deny any wrongdoing, prevent complaints, leave us in vulnerable situations with sick around, 3 toilets with 1 trough sink in the bathroom for 80 ppl. Now, they are still not permitting better options to de-escalate and de-stress our bodies helping our minds...but are forcing some to work. We are not capable enough to go to the bathroom as needed or use wall phones or sit in an open space, but certainly capable enough to work for $0.15 hour when it benefits them.

In 2005 DOC decided they would no longer pay an employee to sit with a dying inmate or a suicidal inmate. At that time, it decided inmates, albeit "good" and "token" inmates could sit with these vulnerable ppl. It has turned in to a beast on its own...extracting free labor from ppl, forcing certain "good" groups to mandatorily work in these settings. Being forced to watch others in cages smearing feces or harming themselves or saying heart wrenching words. My population is mandated to watch these persons with no training, no mental health screening themselves. They are classified "bad" inmate the minute they speak or humanize their objects of watch or complain for them. This state of being mentally and emotionally draining.

During these punitive times, when we have had to beg for showers, inmates have still been forced to watch suicidal inmates inside of areas that are being used for containment of sick and seg.

If someone wanted to highlight dying and suicidal cases, preventing DOC from using the classification of "suicidal" as a method to punish an inmate, it must ban free inmate labor in caring for these persons! State law must require the State to pay the hourly wage to certified employees in order to see true costs associated with care. In order to see how carefree DOC and Corizon want to assign the "suicidal" labels without second thought, ban our forced free watch.

Inmates are not certified to care for sick, force DOC healthcare or c/o's to watch ppl and care, and watch prices skyrocket. No one wants to care about the vulnerable populations inside? Ban the free forced inmate care and watch! Sickening to watch two to three free laborers be the only ppl permitted outside their cells during this harsh lockdown so that suicidal women will have someone monitoring them. Of course, mental illness being increased in these conditions...bullying harder to escape from...even "good" c/o's framing our complaints as unjustified "bitching."

04/18/2020

The prison is still locked in cells. The cottages, the areas designated for the old girl school, are old buildings, with small spaces for the juveniles. The cells are not automatic locks(fire hazard) and do not have water, toilets, or emergency call buttons. My unit shares 3 toilets for 80 ppl and the only access to a cold water or a sink is in the bathroom. We have not had out of cell activity for 19 days, and even if we had one room at a time in open space, it would help. Last week an NPR program revealed this prison was not sanitizing/ cleaning appropriately. An auditor came in. Bleach has since been issued to the unit c/o's who, in light of the doors being locked, are consistently busy. No time is allotted for cleaning of showers, toilets, etc. And rooms are minimally cleaned when we can get away with it. 

It seems to me no one here cares about any of this. Tie in the nondisclosure by those sick and doc, and doc's working inmates without telling them if an area has been exposed, adds to the inference that no one in authority cares. If temps get hot and we remain locked in, ventilation and air circulation, and in-room temps will become problematic. The cottages were made for juveniles in the mid 1900's. These buildings are not made for this many ppl nor these living conditions.

DOC Has Role in Granting Clemency!

The news stated coalition groups advocated for release of prisoners since social distancing is a "luxury" not afforded prisoners. What they may not realize is that disclosure by those infected or areas infected is also not given, another further burden; the privilege of communication not accessible inside. Channel 6 reported DOC responded with they do not have authority to release prisoners. This is a partial falsity.

IC 11-9-1 states DOC, Indiana Parole Board, and the Governor all are needed to release prisoners under clemency requests. DOC wardens, chief medical officer, and the commissioner are needed and must approve all requests for medical clemency. They could permit the filing of medical clemency for those who meet vulnerable population criteria. With approval of these 3 DOC persons, the 5 person Parole Board would need to approve medical clemency for high potential to covid 19 death, and finally the Governor would need to approve. Why none of these persons or entities are claiming this capability is deeply alarming that the statue and action is in word only...

Clemency requests, without medical reasons may be filed after serving 1/3 of the total sentence. The old law serves 1/2...parole board and governor needs to approve those.

I am uncertain why DOC commissioner's office keeps telling the Indianapolis Star and news outlets it does not have authority. It in fact does have authority, could state their desire to review these vulnerable populations under their medical officers and expertise, under their conduct records and considerations, and make these reviews and determination. In the process they will gain the input of trial judges and prosecutors and any victim advocates. DOC could expedite the process right now during this time of crisis and the increase in breakouts of covid in the prisons. I hope this information may get shared as it is disinformation as it is being spread. 

Indiana Womens Prison