Nzelo Okafor, a client of the Remedy Project and a respectful and accountable individual, has suffered mistreatment and neglect while in prison. Despite his fundamental rights, Mr. Okafor has been denied access to his health records and wrongly deemed ineligible for CARES Act based on three incident reports of violence. However, these three incident reports were not filed during his current sentencing but rather during his previous time in prison. During that sentence, he took responsibility for those incidents and fulfilled the required consequences. It is cruel to bring up past incident reports that have already been addressed and accounted for, as it would essentially be punishing Mr. Okafor twice for the same actions, which occurred over twenty years ago, before I was even born.
When Mr. Okafor requested a written explanation for why he was ineligible for the CARES Act, his manager changed his mind and said he would allow Mr. Okafor to receive his medical records to confirm if he was eligible for the CARES Act. However, several weeks passed without any response from his Health Administrator, and Mr. Okafor patiently waited for over a month to receive his medical records, only to be left without any explanation. The denial of access to his medical records, despite his earnest waiting, further adds to the injustice he has faced.
“You do not meet the criteria for placement on home confinement under the CARES Act due to your history of institutional violence.” The response Okafor received when he once again requested his medical records. Under the CARES Act, individuals who are incarcerated are eligible to be placed in Home Confinement if they meet several requirements such as not engaging in any violent crimes while incarcerated. It is crucial to recognize that Mr. Okafor is currently serving time for a nonviolent offense, completely unrelated to his previous convictions. Moreover, there have been no instances of violence during his current sentence. Clearly, the incidents of violence from over two decades ago do not accurately reflect the person Mr. Okafor has become today.
By denying Mr. Okafor his medical records and perpetuating the consequences of past incidents that have long been resolved, the system fails to acknowledge his growth. This failure proves the cycle of injustice within the criminal justice system. It is distressing to witness the cruelty of prison administrators who fail to meet Mr. Okafor's basic and simple request. Addressing these current issues requires dismantling the powerful systems that perpetuate the cycle of incarceration. Until such reforms are realized, the Remedy project remains committed to utilizing all available resources to advocate for Mr. Okafor’s basic rights. We invite you to join us in taking action. For more information to get involved, join our network at https://action.theremedyproj.org/.
Nzelo Okafor, a client of the Remedy Project and a respectful and accountable individual, has suffered mistreatment and neglect while in prison. Despite his fundamental rights, Mr. Okafor has been denied access to his health records and wrongly deemed ineligible for CARES Act based on three incident reports of violence. However, these three incident reports were not filed during his current sentencing but rather during his previous time in prison. During that sentence, he took responsibility for those incidents and fulfilled the required consequences. It is cruel to bring up past incident reports that have already been addressed and accounted for, as it would essentially be punishing Mr. Okafor twice for the same actions, which occurred over twenty years ago, before I was even born.
When Mr. Okafor requested a written explanation for why he was ineligible for the CARES Act, his manager changed his mind and said he would allow Mr. Okafor to receive his medical records to confirm if he was eligible for the CARES Act. However, several weeks passed without any response from his Health Administrator, and Mr. Okafor patiently waited for over a month to receive his medical records, only to be left without any explanation. The denial of access to his medical records, despite his earnest waiting, further adds to the injustice he has faced.
“You do not meet the criteria for placement on home confinement under the CARES Act due to your history of institutional violence.” The response Okafor received when he once again requested his medical records. Under the CARES Act, individuals who are incarcerated are eligible to be placed in Home Confinement if they meet several requirements such as not engaging in any violent crimes while incarcerated. It is crucial to recognize that Mr. Okafor is currently serving time for a nonviolent offense, completely unrelated to his previous convictions. Moreover, there have been no instances of violence during his current sentence. Clearly, the incidents of violence from over two decades ago do not accurately reflect the person Mr. Okafor has become today.
By denying Mr. Okafor his medical records and perpetuating the consequences of past incidents that have long been resolved, the system fails to acknowledge his growth. This failure proves the cycle of injustice within the criminal justice system. It is distressing to witness the cruelty of prison administrators who fail to meet Mr. Okafor's basic and simple request. Addressing these current issues requires dismantling the powerful systems that perpetuate the cycle of incarceration. Until such reforms are realized, the Remedy project remains committed to utilizing all available resources to advocate for Mr. Okafor’s basic rights. We invite you to join us in taking action. For more information to get involved, join our network at https://action.theremedyproj.org/.
