In Washington County Jail, we had a lady that was dealing with a lot of pain because of spinal and shoulder injuries that were not being treated. She mentioned that the medical staff was bullying when she was trying to get her medication.She said she would literally shake with fear when waiting in line. At one time, a member of the medical staff was asking her how bad it hurt and she responded by using a swear word for emphasis. The medical staff person at that point told a deputy and was trying to get them to punish her. We have watched this lady’s health deteriorate exponentially since she’s been moved to CCCF. Her crime was committed in self-defense after many years of abuse from her ex-husband. The doctor here at CCCF gaslights her and she’s still not being treated. She is forced to work in the kitchen, which is very hard physical labor with very minimal pay. Most healthy ladies complain of back pain after working there. We also have a lady with kidney failure that is being forced to work in the kitchen. There is another lady here that wants to volunteer but staff told her that due to the number of bullying incidents she’s had from other prisoners, the kitchen might not be a good place for her.
Jails and prisons are “super spreaders” of Covid and here at CCCF we have had many cases. Studies show that jails and prisons also create more cases outside of facilities and that in rural areas where there is a jail or prison, Covid cases surge. Because CCCF has been punishing people that test positive, many cases are not reported. They brought Covid-positive members of the men’s prison here knowing that we didn’t have any current cases, Their healthcare staff was caring for them without protective gear. We were not given proper masks until the Covid surge was almost over. We have written to several lawyers about this only to receive a reply that our cases do not have merit. We say the whole prison was exposed to Covid due to unsafe practices from the staff. We will keep writing until we get proper representation. All the while our family and friends continue to be hospitalized from Covid. Mass incarceration isn’t doing anything but creating a problem here.
They keep raising the prices of commissary but we still keep making the same slave wages for work we are forced to do. One lady had a friend try to send her stamps and envelopes but the prison sent it back. One stamped envelope here costs close to a dollar, where on the outside it is much cheaper. If a lady is working in the kitchen here, she makes under $30 a month. You do the math! When they raise prices even a little bit, it affects us greatly. Not to mention developing back problems that they refuse to treat and then gaslight us for. It is a narcissistic system that cares more about making money than having compassion for individuals.
A lot of ladies have their children or elderly parents taken away when they are incarcerated. There are many cases of abuse and neglect in the foster care system. It is sheer torture for these ladies not knowing where their children go.
https://www.opb.org/article/2022/02/19/oregon-dhs-employee-accused-of-kidnapping-woman-in-his-care/
Many ladies at CCCF have turned in proposals for automotive repair, lawyer, and computer programming schooling/training programs but these still have not been created. The men’s prison has automotive repair and a lawyer program and we think we are being discriminated against. The Oregonian has recently printed an article saying that the the state’s legal system doesn’t have enough public defenders and we continue to see an influx of ladies here with false charges and improper legal representation. We refuse to continues to be set up for failure as we have been.