Inside When Shortness of Breath, and Pneumonia
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Prison Legal News PUBLISHED BY THE HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENSE CENTER VOL. 31 No. 4 April 2020 ISSN 1075-7678 Dedicated to Protecting Human Rights Protect Yourself and Your Facility from COVID-19 by Michael D. Cohen, M.D. Introduction trust rumors. False information is widely ity have mild symptoms like a common circulating already. cold, including runny nose, sneezing, mild he novel coronavirus is now a Residential institutions with congregate cough and possibly some nausea, vomiting Tglobal pandemic and is widespread in living like boarding schools, mental hospitals, or diarrhea. On average, symptoms develop the United States, causing a disease called homeless shelters and prisons or jails bring about 5 days after infection, but patients COVID-19. It is likely that a majority together a large number of people into a are infectious to others starting 2 or 3 days of the population will eventually become very small space for prolonged periods of before symptoms start. infected with this virus. Here is some in- time. Communicable diseases are readily Therefore, people who are feeling formation about the coronavirus and some introduced from outside and spread more well can still be infectious and spread the thoughts about taking care of yourself and easily where people live in close quarters. virus to others. your facility during this pandemic. Rec- Coronavirus is coming to all of us in Some patients develop more severe ommendations are changing daily as the the free world. Prisons and jails will likely disease with symptoms such as fever, cough, virus spreads more widely. Try to get newer be hard hit, with rapid spread inside when shortness of breath, and pneumonia. People information from trusted sources such as the disease becomes widespread in the local with more severe disease may need hospital- the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), community or home communities. Prisoner ization for supportive medical and nursing the World Health Organization (WHO) representative councils should try to work care. In some cases, the lungs are unable or your state Department of Health. Don’t with facility administration to develop the to move oxygen into the blood and carbon institutional response to COVID-19. Some dioxide waste out of the blood. Those people jurisdictions are trying to release prisoners need mechanical breathing with a respirator INSIDE to reduce populations and allow people to in intensive care. survive the epidemic with family in the Anyone at any age may develop more From the Editor 8 free world. severe disease. However, some people are Prison Understaffing Nationwide Problem 14 This virus is new to humans. It appears more likely to have severe disease because to have spread from animals to people in their bodies are weaker due to age or chronic Wave of Problems at GEO Jail in Texas 16 markets where wild animals are sold for illness. People over 60 in the general popu- CA Prisons Put Hold on Gladiator Fights 24 meat. Because it is new to us, no one has lation are at higher risk. I have observed that been exposed to it before and there is no people who have lived hard lives age faster Kim Kardashian’s War on Incarceration 27 immunity to it in the population yet. and show the effects at a younger age. So AI Spreading to Prisons 30 COVID-19 illness takes prisoners may be at higher risk starting at different forms age 50. People at higher risk for more severe Coronavirus: Early Look from Prisons 32 disease due to chronic illness include those NY: Prison Labor Makes Hand Sanitizer 38 The majority of people who become with lung disease (such as COPD, chronic infected may have no symptoms, may be bronchitis, emphysema, or asthma), heart Child Strip Searched at VA Prison 40 unaware that they are infected, and recover disease (such as congestive heart failure CA Governor’s Mixed Record on Parole 44 fully. Nevertheless, they are infectious to or poorly controlled hypertension), weak others. immune system (such as untreated HIV Restraint Chairs and Death 50 Some people develop symptoms. The infection, chemotherapy, prolonged cortico- $1.5 Million for Rape at GA Juvi Center 54 disease caused by the novel coronavirus steroid treatment), diabetes, cancer, or any is called “COVID-19” which stands for other chronic disease with organ damage News in Brief 62 Corona Virus Infectious Disease-19. 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This invaluable title contains several hundred case citations from all 50 states and on the federal level, saving readers many hours of research in identifying winning arguments to successfully challenge their convictions. r Prison Education Guide Order by mail, phone, or online. Amount enclosed ______________ r The Habeas Citebook By: r check r credit card r money order r Disciplinary Self-Help Name _________________________________________________________________ Litigation Manual r The Habeas Citebook: DOC/BOP Number ______________________________________________________ Prosecutorial Misconduct Institution/Agency ______________________________________________________ Shipping included in all prices. Address _______________________________________________________________ City _____________________________________ State _____ Zip _______________ Prison Legal News PO Box 1151 • Lake Worth Beach, FL 33460 Dedicated to Protecting Human Rights Tel 561-360-2523 • www.prisonlegalnews.org April 2020 2 Prison Legal News Protect from COVID-19 (cont.) recommended now for all Americans. Prison Legal News The recommended behaviors for all a publication of the Americans to slow the spread of coronavirus Human Rights Defense Center infection to these people. People at higher infection include protecting yourself (per- www.humanrightsdefensecenter.org risk of severe disease should be released if sonal cleanliness), keeping away from other EDITOR at all possible. people (social distancing), and disinfecting Paul Wright Only a small fraction of those who environmental surfaces (environmental MANAGING EDITOR are infected will develop severe disease. cleanliness). The same approach applies Ken Silverstein However, when a lot of people are infected, to people in prisons and jails, adapted to EDITORIAL ASSISTANT even a small percentage of them is a very the high-risk environment of a residential Betty Nelander large number. In February in northern Italy institution. COLUMNISTS so many people became infected quickly How does it spread? Michael Cohen, Mumia Abu-Jamal that the hospitals were overwhelmed with CONTRIBUTING WRITERS severely ill patients. There is concern that Pandemic coronavirus spreads from Anthony Accurso, Douglas Ankney, the same thing is occurring in the U.S. as person to person. When an infected person Bill Barton, Kevin Bliss, Dale Chappell, Matthew Clarke, Michael Fortino, the virus spreads rapidly. Some estimates are coughs, sneezes, yells or even sings loudly Scott Grammer, Ed Lyon, Chad Marks, that we are only two or three weeks behind small droplets of saliva or mucus teaming David Reutter, Mark Wilson, Italy. If that is correct, if nothing is done, with viruses are ejected from the mouth Christopher Zoukis by mid-April the health care system will