I've received some information from inside about conditions at FCI Oakdale (a federal prison here in my home state of Louisiana). I'm very disturbed by what I heard. It sounds like #COVID19 and other illnesses may have spread through most of the facility, including to the staff.
According to the information I've received, prisoners at FCI Oakdale live in communal dorms. There are about 200 men per building and they're split up into six-man rooms with no windows. Prisoners do have soap and water but no other supplies for sanitizing the living quarters.
I'm hearing that FCI Oakdale can only quarantine sick prisoners in the Special Housing Unit (SHU) and that the SHU is now almost full with sick prisoners. Two prison staff members tested positive for #COVID19 last week.
On Monday, the Bureau of Prisons acknowledged that two prisoners had tested positive for #COVID19 and were being held in isolation. I've heard that several prisoners have passed out in the cafeteria or bathrooms and one prisoner stopped breathing before being taken to hospital.
According to information I've received, almost everyone at FCI Oakdale is sick and coughing. It was described as sounding like a tuberculosis sanatorium. Requests for relief under the First Step Act and other avenues for release are being neglected because staff are overwhelmed.
Part of the problem with our prison system is the fact that it is very difficult to get accurate information about what's happening inside under normal circumstances, let alone during a global pandemic. The information above is what I've heard from inside this particular prison.
