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Oregon Prison Report

5 Feb, 22 tweets, 5 min read

Oregon Prison Report: Voices from the Inside

"I can't even begin to tell you how awful inmates are treated here. Stripped of all civil liberties and rights. Dehumanized."

#ODOCKills #KateBrownKills #FreeThemAll

@CR_PDX

(Testimony from Critical Resistance PDX's (@CR_PDX) Write Them All Campaign)

Two Rivers Correctional Institution (TRCI) / December 8, 2020.

Thank you for reaching out to me. I'm ok with you sharing our correspondence and am open to any educational or political material you may send.

I have a lot to share.

A little about me: I'm 39 and have bad problems with drugs and alcohol that have led to some pretty bad decisions. I forged and made fake documents upon losing my job to support me and my girlfriend and our drug habit. This is my 3rd time in prison. Same kind of charges.

Theft, forgery, forged instruments, fictitious ID's, etc. I'm an artist so it came east to me. In all my years drugs and alcohol treatment was never an option. Until now. Finally.

I was a shoe-in for Behavioral Intervention Court but have too many convictions for the dumb stuff I did.

I've fallen through the cracks my whole life until I put my foot down and said, "This is it! I can't live this way anymore!"

I can't even begin to tell you how awful inmates are treated here. Stripped of all civil liberties and rights. Dehumanized.

I have less than a year on my sentence and am trying to get on the Governor's commutation list.

I am medically vulnerable and have had COVID-19 3 times.

Twice I was sick as a dog. I've spent more time in DSU and Quarantine than time on mainline. Some of my symptoms never got better.

On top of being sick and everything I was given "Zantac" for 3 years and then now am going through hell.

My right testicle swelled to the size of a grapefruit. So much pain. Can't even articulate nor find appropriate words to describe the slow, painful agony.

After ruling all things out, a specialist in Richland, WA finally decided that it was most likely cancer and removed my testicle, the cord, and sperm sac.

I'm now sitting here recovering and awaiting the labs and pathology for cancer.

I have a huge incision from hip to mid navel. A railroad track of staples.

I was on "Prilosec," and ODOC made me take "Zantac" instead.

And 1 year later all this happened. All should be in my medical files.

I want to be considered for commutation and have written Kate Brown and an attorney: Juan Chavez, to no avail.

Also I understand there is a class action lawsuit against "Zantac."

I feel I should be compensated as now I can't have kids and have wanted to start a family soon.

I have a solid release plan. Drug and alcohol classes @ KBBH in Klamath Falls, OR as well as finishing my Bachelor's degree to fulfill the requirements needed to become a drug and alcholol addiction counselor.

Upon my release I plan to do the most treatment and behavioral science classes possible while working off my fines for Klamath Community Corrections.

I'm not high risk. I want so badly to put this behind me. I want these staples out of me.

I pray I don't get bad news from the pathology. My specialist's name is Dr. Gauss, urologist in Richland, WA. They did my surgery 2 weeks ago today.

There is so much I'd like to share about the treatment and conditions I've endured and witnessed in and out of jail and prison and by my local police force in Klamath.

I've never had any bad experiences with the local sheriffs in Klamath (and I've been to jail 41 times!) but have been repeatedly harassed and bullied by city police. Anyways, I could have done BIC court and treatment but cause of my record...

... I was forced to take a deal for 18 months. I reached out to KBBH to make sure treatment and classes will be set up for me for when I release. Otherwise the cycle will continue.

I've got no desire to repeat any of this again. (Addiction, jail.)

I want nothing more than to obtain every possible coping skill and tool I can to never go through this again as well as help others like me.

I've got so much more to share and quite the testimony.

Is there any way you can help my voice be heard?

I just want to be considered.

I want to go home, make my family proud, help when and where I can and do my part to make my community and the world a better place.

And even though I can't have kids now, maybe have or be part of a family of my own one day.

I support you Critical Resistance!