In May of 2023, George Leroy Clowers reached out to the Remedy Project concerning a lack of adequate medical attention for sleep apnea. He needed a CPAP machine. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, CPAP machines help individuals with breathing disorders, such as sleep apnea, open up airways and allow them to breathe more easily while sleeping. Without adequate functioning, CPAP machines can worsen respiratory issues in the long run because the air being supplied may not be clean. While prison health services are obligated to monitor and address issues with prisoners’ machines adequately, Clowers has been constantly denied this attention. After his original, properly functioning machine was taken away from him, he was given an older, insufficient model that failed to address his condition. Eventually, after 45 days of inadequate medical attention, Clowers told us “I am being treated differently and unfairly by Health Services… every other inmate has been placed on call-out but me”. A call-out refers to when someone is added to a waiting list for a visit to the facility’s medical offices. According to Clowers, his fellow prison mates were receiving proper attention towards their conditions and machines, but he was isolated.
The prison’s health department eventually allocated Clowers an older model of a CPAP machine, but was he denied the tools necessary to clean this current machine, such as filters that would ensure clean and open airways. George has exhausted his administrative remedies and received little to no relief in return. This multitude of remedies filed was met with retaliation, evasion, or obstruction at each and every step.
The 8th Amendment supposedly protects individuals against cruel and unusual punishments. Yet the extent to which Clowers has been consistently neglected of proper medical care clearly violates this right. Not only did Clowers suffer from chest pain without access to a working CPAP machine, but he also experienced severe appendix pain which was constantly neglected by prison officials. After days of suffering he was finally sent to a local hospital to get his appendix removed - but with several unnecessary copays that continue to worsen his overall well-being.
George has been in contact with us since July of 2023. Now, almost a year later, his medical neglect and conditions continue to trouble him. The number of incarcerated individuals who face similar neglect and violations of their 8th Amendment rights continues to grow - yet the BOP fails to address these issues and provide incarcerated people with their basic rights. What can we do to help Clowers get the rights he deserves? To start, we demand that his original CPAP machine be reallocated to him - fully functional and with routine checkups. Additionally, George’s mistreatment in his current prison is an ongoing issue that has grounds for a transfer to a facility closer to his place of release and his family. As of April 3rd, 2024, Clowers is eligible for such a transfer and would likely benefit from reallocation given the neglectful practices of his current holding facility.
No human should be denied proper care and medical attention. No human should face constant neglect and abuse of power. George Clowers’s case is not unique - prisoner neglect is an ongoing issue that feeds into the larger concerns of mass incarceration. The voices of mistreated inmates must be heard and addressed to put an end to prisoner neglect.
In May of 2023, George Leroy Clowers reached out to the Remedy Project concerning a lack of adequate medical attention for sleep apnea. He needed a CPAP machine. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, CPAP machines help individuals with breathing disorders, such as sleep apnea, open up airways and allow them to breathe more easily while sleeping. Without adequate functioning, CPAP machines can worsen respiratory issues in the long run because the air being supplied may not be clean. While prison health services are obligated to monitor and address issues with prisoners’ machines adequately, Clowers has been constantly denied this attention. After his original, properly functioning machine was taken away from him, he was given an older, insufficient model that failed to address his condition. Eventually, after 45 days of inadequate medical attention, Clowers told us “I am being treated differently and unfairly by Health Services… every other inmate has been placed on call-out but me”. A call-out refers to when someone is added to a waiting list for a visit to the facility’s medical offices. According to Clowers, his fellow prison mates were receiving proper attention towards their conditions and machines, but he was isolated.
The prison’s health department eventually allocated Clowers an older model of a CPAP machine, but was he denied the tools necessary to clean this current machine, such as filters that would ensure clean and open airways. George has exhausted his administrative remedies and received little to no relief in return. This multitude of remedies filed was met with retaliation, evasion, or obstruction at each and every step.
The 8th Amendment supposedly protects individuals against cruel and unusual punishments. Yet the extent to which Clowers has been consistently neglected of proper medical care clearly violates this right. Not only did Clowers suffer from chest pain without access to a working CPAP machine, but he also experienced severe appendix pain which was constantly neglected by prison officials. After days of suffering he was finally sent to a local hospital to get his appendix removed - but with several unnecessary copays that continue to worsen his overall well-being.
George has been in contact with us since July of 2023. Now, almost a year later, his medical neglect and conditions continue to trouble him. The number of incarcerated individuals who face similar neglect and violations of their 8th Amendment rights continues to grow - yet the BOP fails to address these issues and provide incarcerated people with their basic rights. What can we do to help Clowers get the rights he deserves? To start, we demand that his original CPAP machine be reallocated to him - fully functional and with routine checkups. Additionally, George’s mistreatment in his current prison is an ongoing issue that has grounds for a transfer to a facility closer to his place of release and his family. As of April 3rd, 2024, Clowers is eligible for such a transfer and would likely benefit from reallocation given the neglectful practices of his current holding facility.
No human should be denied proper care and medical attention. No human should face constant neglect and abuse of power. George Clowers’s case is not unique - prisoner neglect is an ongoing issue that feeds into the larger concerns of mass incarceration. The voices of mistreated inmates must be heard and addressed to put an end to prisoner neglect.
