Political prisoner and Black journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal began experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, including difficulty breathing, Feb 26. Hearing this news, his family and supporters called a protest. Less than 24 hours later, about 70 people turned up outside the office of Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner to call for Abu-Jamal’s immediate…
Some prison inmates are receiving the COVID-19 vaccine before reaching Phase 1B raising concerns
As the state is currently in Phase 1A of the COVID-19 vaccine distribution, some inmates are receiving vaccines before the state enters Phase 1B- concerning many. Author: Victoria Lucas (WPMT) Updated: 11:15 PM EST February 27, 2021
HARRISBURG, Pa. Inmates in prisons across the commonwealth are now able to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in Phase 1B.
The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections has worked with the department of health to implement this agenda.
Although inmates will be able to get the vaccine in Phase 1B, some are already receiving them early at SCI Laurel Highlands, SCI Waymart and SCI Muncy due to being the most medically vulnerable, according to the state Department of Corrections.
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Guards sickened by smuggled drugs leads Pa. to change state prison legal mail
Updated Feb 26, 2021;
Contraband is an issue that didn’t go away for Pennsylvania’s Department of Corrections amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Recently, two correction officers were sickened at SCI Dallas after mail, purportedly from the court system, was found to have K2, referred to as Spice, on it. K2 is sometimes called synthetic marijuana, because it contains a synthetic compound chemically similar to the THC found in marijuana.
The officers required treatment at an outside hospital, Secretary John Wetzel said.
For more than a year, attorneys sending legal mail to inmates needed a control number issued in advance by the department to qualified senders. Starting March 1, any legal or privileged mail from the court system will need a control number as well.
New Massachusetts Rules Would Eliminate Handwritten Letters in Prison
Creativ Studio Heinemann, andipantz / E+; Edited: Truthout
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“Paper mail is precious,” Black and Pink Massachusetts Communications and Outreach Coordinator Elijah Patterson testified on January 29 against rules proposed by the Massachusetts Department of Correction (MADOC). The rules would, if approved, formally substitute physical mail for an electronic, scanned copy or photocopy through a third-party vendor.
“It means so much to me to touch the same paper as people suffering in prisons, and when I trace my hand and they place theirs over it, it means a lot for them, too. In that moment, we are together,” Patterson said during the Zoom hearing.