REAL TALK - THE VIEW OF A CONNECTICUT PRISONER Vol. 4 No. 2
By Richard Stevenson

GREETING FREE WORLD! COVID-19 HAS LANDED...AT CHESHIRE CI. As far as I can gather 5 employees have been infected and most recently 1 prisoner has recently begun showing symptoms. He was working in the kitchen. So now they've locked the kitchen block down. No prisoners are allowed to leave that unit. They had one group of prisoners disinfect the kitchen and hired another group to work in it.

The commissioner has now mandated that all employees wear masks. Imagine that, he had to make it a mandate! Some still won't wear them properly. I'm 56, asthmatic, have C.O.P.D AND I'm Blck. Yeah, I'm wearing mine! Are you?

O's refer to themselves as 1st line responders. Yet, many don't care about getting prisoners infected. For some, the moment we are locked in our cells they take their masks off until brass walks in the unit. They are doing their best to get us all locked in our cells 24/7.

When you think you can't take the cabin fever any longer just think of us. I've been "quarantined" for over 27 years. Twice a week I get to go outside and look at the pretty brick wall for 45 minutes. "Why" doesn't factor in this equation. The fact is that you and I feel exact- [[typewriter errors]]

SORRY, TYPEWRITER IS BUGGING ON ITS OWN.

The fact is that you and I feel exactly the same way right now, frustration, anger, helplessness, anxiety, etc. Because we tend to hide these and other feelings employees seem to think that we aren't suffering enough. This is when you hear some of them say that we are being pampered. So they go out of their way to antagonize us in every way that they can. Some can't handle this and explode under the pressure assaulting oneself and/or others. Then we are denied parole to finish our sentence then sent home in a worse state than de-[[typewriter errors]] why the recidivate is so high?

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS?

Rich.