In New York prisons, widespread package room complaints go unresolved
Nabeeha Anwar | Illustration Editor
Package room complaints ranged from missing and spoiled packages to “abuse of power” by package room staff.
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Seven months after the coronavirus pandemic hit Sing Sing Correctional Facility, a committee of incarcerated people met with administrators to discuss what was going wrong.
First on the agenda was the spotty TV programs. Second was the damaged packages. Then the committee repeated a request they had made two months earlier: security cameras in the package room.
At the previous meeting in August, the committee said package room procedures were a “growing concern” at the all-men’s maximum-security prison in Westchester County, records show. Food started to spoil as packages were held for up to a week. Items went missing after staff checked boxes for contraband. Earlier in the summer, as a COVID-19 outbreak swept thro
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Locked up in a coronavirus-stricken prison, Claude Johnson was concerned about his health if his parole was denied again.
After spending more than three decades behind bars, the 60-year-old was dealing with the death of a good friend of COVID-19 at another prison. Johnson had witnessed the near impossibility of social distancing at the Fishkill Correctional Facility in Dutchess County and the lack of protective gear given to an imprisoned individual as he nursed himself back to health after dealing with a likely case.
Locked up in a coronavirus-stricken prison, Claude Johnson was concerned about his health if his parole was denied again.
After spending more than three decades behind bars, the 60-year-old was dealing with the death of a good friend of COVID-19 at another prison. Johnson had witnessed the near impossibility of social distancing at the Fishkill Correctional Facility in Dutchess County and the lack of protective gear given to an imprisoned individual as he nursed himself back to health after dealing with a likely case.
“I was concerned for my own self,” he said. “I was to the point where I felt like when I went to the parole board in October of 2020, I was saying, ‘If I don’t get granted parole, there’s a possibility that I may die in prison due to COVID-19.
State leaders say volatile mix of groups could challenge law enforcement
Tim Craig, Holly Bailey and Matthew D. LaPlante, The Washington Post
Jan. 15, 2021
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A barricade surrounds the perimeter of the North Carolina State Capitol as a pedestrian walks past on Jan. 15, 2021 in Raleigh, N.C.Washington Post photo by Joshua Lott
Governors and other local officials are worried that while high-profile groups like the Proud Boys are encouraging their members to stay away from protests this weekend, other heavily armed and politically motivated extremists could gather in state capitals, leading to violent clashes and creating anxiety for law enforcement trying to prepare, several top-ranking state officials said Friday.
Although many governors say there are no credible threats against their capitols, states coast-to-coast are preparing for possible unrest in the coming days.