To date, we have received at least two requests from clients at FCI Waseca to write remedies regarding their traumatizing “mandatory” COVID isolations in the SHU upon intake. These women were subjected to almost 20 days of forced isolation in filthy cells at around the same time in August 2021. While working on these cases side by side, I was able to note alarming similarities and differences in which parts of their SHU detentions each of them found most egregious. They both mentioned restrictions of phone calls, no rec time, and horrifyingly unsanitary conditions. But one woman emphasized the humiliation she felt during several exploitative strip searches - this, above all, was most disturbing to her. The other woman did not mention being strip searched at all. This other woman, however, was most shaken by the fact that the medical staff stopped giving her routine medications to her, despite her severe nerve pain, migraines, and osteoarthritis.
Therefore, even though both women wanted to appeal the same overarching issue - horrifying SHU conditions at FCI Waseca - they had individualized experiences that truly emphasize the fact that correctional facilities aim to permanently harm people, no matter who they are. The woman who did not even mention being strip searched: was she truly not strip searched? Or did that pale in comparison to the physical and mental pain she endured as she had her vital medications ripped from her hands, so much so that she didn’t bother mentioning it to us? Same SHU, same time, yet different facts. The woman who was traumatized from her multiple strip searches actually turned herself into FCI Waseca. This voluntary act ended up being her last exercise of personal autonomy. Within an hour, she was dehumanized, degraded, and berated. Her naked body was subjected to the gaze of guards, both male and female, multiple times. To think that she voluntarily turned herself, only to be immediately immersed in traumatic experiences that will likely endure for a lifetime, is horrifying. To know that her husband helped drop her off at the prison and drove off without knowing what she was experiencing right at that moment is horrifying.
Ultimately, she was not even supposed to be medically isolated when she entered the prison. She was fully vaccinated and had proof; according to CDC guidelines from June, she is not required to quarantine upon entry. However, the Warden, who was walking around the SHU a few days later, told her the opposite: that CDC guidelines did require quarantine for fully vaccinated people. It is hard to adequately describe how I feel whenever I come across these incredibly blatant lies from prison staff when reviewing a case. Frustrated doesn’t feel strong enough. And if I’m exasperated, I can only imagine how our clients feel, interacting with these people every day. It is extremely difficult to believe that these officials are unaware of federal guidelines, especially when they are two months old. By process of elimination, then, these officials are lying. And when these lies come at the expense of avoidable pain and trauma - in this case, 17 days of egregious SHU conditions, sexual harassment, and forced isolation - I see just how steep the hill we have to climb is.
Just one more note on CDC guidelines. They write: “Ensure that medical isolation for COVID-19 is distinct from punitive solitary confinement of incarcerated/detained individuals, both in name and in practice.” It is striking that the CDC simultaneously condemns punitive medical isolation yet condones punitive solitary confinement. The CDC website states: “As the nation's health protection agency, CDC saves lives and protects people from health, safety, and security threats.” Are they really protecting health by refusing to stand against punitive solitary confinement, a practice that is known to detriment health, safety, and security? Ultimately, as seen by these two cases, the CDC is doing absolutely nothing to ensure that their guidelines are being followed. When it comes to our nation’s incarcerated population, complacency and complicity run the game.
To date, we have received at least two requests from clients at FCI Waseca to write remedies regarding their traumatizing “mandatory” COVID isolations in the SHU upon intake. These women were subjected to almost 20 days of forced isolation in filthy cells at around the same time in August 2021. While working on these cases side by side, I was able to note alarming similarities and differences in which parts of their SHU detentions each of them found most egregious. They both mentioned restrictions of phone calls, no rec time, and horrifyingly unsanitary conditions. But one woman emphasized the humiliation she felt during several exploitative strip searches - this, above all, was most disturbing to her. The other woman did not mention being strip searched at all. This other woman, however, was most shaken by the fact that the medical staff stopped giving her routine medications to her, despite her severe nerve pain, migraines, and osteoarthritis.
Therefore, even though both women wanted to appeal the same overarching issue - horrifying SHU conditions at FCI Waseca - they had individualized experiences that truly emphasize the fact that correctional facilities aim to permanently harm people, no matter who they are. The woman who did not even mention being strip searched: was she truly not strip searched? Or did that pale in comparison to the physical and mental pain she endured as she had her vital medications ripped from her hands, so much so that she didn’t bother mentioning it to us? Same SHU, same time, yet different facts. The woman who was traumatized from her multiple strip searches actually turned herself into FCI Waseca. This voluntary act ended up being her last exercise of personal autonomy. Within an hour, she was dehumanized, degraded, and berated. Her naked body was subjected to the gaze of guards, both male and female, multiple times. To think that she voluntarily turned herself, only to be immediately immersed in traumatic experiences that will likely endure for a lifetime, is horrifying. To know that her husband helped drop her off at the prison and drove off without knowing what she was experiencing right at that moment is horrifying.
Ultimately, she was not even supposed to be medically isolated when she entered the prison. She was fully vaccinated and had proof; according to CDC guidelines from June, she is not required to quarantine upon entry. However, the Warden, who was walking around the SHU a few days later, told her the opposite: that CDC guidelines did require quarantine for fully vaccinated people. It is hard to adequately describe how I feel whenever I come across these incredibly blatant lies from prison staff when reviewing a case. Frustrated doesn’t feel strong enough. And if I’m exasperated, I can only imagine how our clients feel, interacting with these people every day. It is extremely difficult to believe that these officials are unaware of federal guidelines, especially when they are two months old. By process of elimination, then, these officials are lying. And when these lies come at the expense of avoidable pain and trauma - in this case, 17 days of egregious SHU conditions, sexual harassment, and forced isolation - I see just how steep the hill we have to climb is.
Just one more note on CDC guidelines. They write: “Ensure that medical isolation for COVID-19 is distinct from punitive solitary confinement of incarcerated/detained individuals, both in name and in practice.” It is striking that the CDC simultaneously condemns punitive medical isolation yet condones punitive solitary confinement. The CDC website states: “As the nation's health protection agency, CDC saves lives and protects people from health, safety, and security threats.” Are they really protecting health by refusing to stand against punitive solitary confinement, a practice that is known to detriment health, safety, and security? Ultimately, as seen by these two cases, the CDC is doing absolutely nothing to ensure that their guidelines are being followed. When it comes to our nation’s incarcerated population, complacency and complicity run the game.
