Thread by @FWDus

THREAD

Numerous states are setting new records for number of #coronavirus cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. The #COVID19 crisis continues to disproportionately impact people behind bars. More than 68,000 incarcerated people have tested positive and over 500 have died.

See the faces and read the stories of people who have #COVID19 behind bars, have passed away, are still fighting to go home, and are navigating the criminal justice system in the community during this pandemic.

They should be #FreeAndSafe. FWD.us/FreeAndSafe

Tina carries her phone wherever she goes in case her incarcerated daughter, Latoy, calls her. Since the Missouri Department of Corrections suspended visitation during the #COVID19 pandemic, Tina has to be ready to answer if her daughter calls. news.stlpublicradio.org/post/prison-vi…

“I can be in a prayer service & she'll call me but I always answer,” said Tina. Her daughter was initially panicked when visitation was suspended & said, “I was just really frantic, like calling home, making sure my grandbaby was wearing her mask, making sure she's staying safe."

Tina is hoping visitation is allowed again. She said her visits “strengthen” her daughter, “it encourages her to keep on trying, to look forward to doing something more positive with herself. Lord knows the mothers need it. They need all the visits they can get.”

In April, Evelyn says her husband, Roy, 76, sent her a letter alluding to worsening conditions at Cummins Unit Prison, where he was incarcerated. The day that her husband sent the letter, prison officials announced the first #COVID19 case at the prison. theappeal.org/grim-stories-f…

Due to staff shortages, Evelyn heard incarcerated individuals were not getting enough to eat. She called the facility to try to add money to his commissary account. Facility staff told her that she couldn’t add money because her husband had passed away that morning from #COVID19.

Evelyn was in shock that no one had even told her about his diagnosis. She was too upset to make decisions about Roy’s body and told the staff member she would call back the next day to discuss funeral arrangements.

When Evelyn called back the next day, Evelyn learned that her husband's body had already been cremated. “I was just torn apart...I didn’t even get to talk to anybody about what I wanted.” Evelyn and Roy had been together for nearly 40 years & he had become a minister at Cummins.

Brittany, 32, has struggled with parenting behind prison walls, #COVID19 made matters worse. Brittany’s path to reconnecting with her three young daughters was upended as #coronavirus spread throughout Oklahoma prisons. huffpost.com/entry/incarcer…

The girls’ grandmother, Christine, 64, has been both a primary caretaker and a homeschool teacher since schools closed. Inside prison walls, Brittany’s job at a local call center ended when the prison went on lockdown.

In early spring, Brittany submitted paperwork to be released under community supervision. Brittany eventually received word that she would be released as soon as June 30th.

This tool aggregates stories of individuals impacted by the criminal justice system during #coronavirus. People should be #FreeAndSafe. Read their stories: FWD.us/FreeAndSafe