Prisoners Surviving Mental Illness

By Wayne Thomas
From PHN Issue 52, Spring 2023

There is an increasing restriction of constitutional rights and other safeguards on people with mental illness in prison. The punishment of individuals with psychiatric problems in prisons might affect the perception of people impacted by mass incarceration.

We are troubled by the punishing of people who suffer from mental and emotional disorders, who are often forced to take antipsychotic drugs during the trial or pretrial setting. There are a large number of instances in prisons and courthouses when a person with mental illness is forced to take medications against their will. The person is incapacitated by being put in a medication-induced stupor and then removed to a courtroom where they are sentenced to a term of incarceration. This is a process that maintains physical control over the mentally ill persons, forced by law to subject themselves to take antipsychotic medications when released. Often they are threatened with the possibility of return to confinement—to ensure medication adherence for formerly incarcerated people who are categorized as mentally ill.

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What to Know About COVID-19 Tests

By M. Ali
From PHN Issue 52, Spring 2023

COVID-19 is an illness caused by a coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2. It spreads when a person with the virus (symptomatic or asymptomatic) releases droplets and particles from their mouth or nose. This can occur when they breathe, cough, or sneeze in close contact with another person. It can also occur in poorly ventilated or crowded indoor settings, such as correctional and detention facilities. The best way to prevent COVID19 infection and reinfection is to practice basic hygiene like washing your hands with soap and water, wear a well-fitting mask, stay up to date with vaccines, and avoid contact with individuals who may have the virus. While the use of masks to prevent the spread of this virus has been politicized and debated, randomized controlled trials have found that community-level mask wearing does reduce COVID-19 infections and may be an especially effective resource in crowded facilities.

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Making Sense Of The Letters Behind Your Healthcare Provider’s Name

By Seth Lammming and Hannah Faeben
From PHN Issue 51, Winter 2023

At some point in time, you’ve probably been in a doctor’s office or medical facility and noticed all sorts of letters after people’s names. MD, PA, DO, NP, RN, the list goes on. The alphabet soup can get confusing. In this article, we will break down the basic differences between physicians and mid-level providers and what some of these letters mean.

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An Open Letter to the INCARCERATED OF PENNSYLVANIA

By Anonymous
From PHN Issue 51, Winter 2023

It has been more than a year since the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections vaccinated its inmate population. Mask mandates have been lifted. The unvaccinated have been allowed off quarantine and spread throughout general population. And yet here we are, another year gone, and the pandemic restrictions limiting activity and quality of life within the prisons remain. The PA DOC has successfully used a deadly pandemic as a smoke screen to institute many of the wide-ranging and destructive restrictions it’s wanted all along.

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Ask PHN: Colon Cancer

By Belinda Christensen
From PHN Issue 50, Summer/Fall 2022

Dear Prison Health News,
Thank you for having me on your mailing list. By the way, do you know anything about colon cancer? My father died of it in July of 1999, and one of my brothers died of it in 2013, so I know it runs in my family. I would highly appreciate learning more about it, if you can.
— Gabriel Fuentes, California

Dear Mr. Fuentes,
Thank you for your letter, and for the wonderful drawing. I’m very sorry to hear that your father and brother passed away from colon cancer. I’ve provided some information below about screening and prevention from the American Cancer Society and the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, two organizations that work to educate people about cancer prevention and treatment.

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Abortion Rights Update: ROE V. WADE OVERTURNED

By Lily H-A
From PHN Issue 50, Summer/Fall 2022

On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court voted 5-4 in the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization to overturn Roe v. Wade, stating that the U.S. Constitution does not protect the right to abortion. The new ruling does not restrict abortion on its own, but gives states the unlimited ability to restrict abortion.

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What To Know About MONKEYPOX

By Olivia Duffield
From PHN Issue 50, Summer/Fall 2022

You may have heard recently about an outbreak of a virus called “monkeypox” in the United States and elsewhere. As of July 2022, there have been over 3,000 recorded cases of monkeypox in the U.S. It was declared an international public health emergency by the World Health Organization on July 23, and, at this time, there have now been a few cases identified in prisons throughout the U.S.

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How To Apply For Compassionate Release In Pennsylvania: An Interview With A Jailhouse Lawyer

By Dan Lockwood
From PHN Issue 50, Summer/Fall 2022

Bryant Arroyo is a longtime activist and jailhouse lawyer with expertise in environmentalism, advocacy, and the law. His recent success was helping Mr. Bradford “Bub” Gamble successfully obtain compassionate release. PHN is grateful that Mr. Arroyo has agreed to be interviewed to share his insights so that others can also be granted the same dignity that Mr. Gamble and his family received as a result of his compassionate release.
This information applies to Pennsylvania, but there are similar rules in other states and the federal system that can be found in the prison law library.

PHN: What is compassionate release?

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COVID-19 Updates: JULY 2022

By Lily H-A
From PHN Issue 50, Summer/Fall 2022

Omicron and BA.5

The current version of the coronavirus that is infecting the most people in the U.S. is called BA.5. This is a “sub-variant” of the omicron variant. It is the most contagious version of the virus yet, and it’s sometimes able to get past antibodies from prior infections and vaccination. However, these antibodies do still provide some protection from BA.5, especially against severe illness and death. BA.5 does not seem to cause more severe disease than other variants. Data are also beginning to suggest that long COVID may be somewhat less common for people after being infected with omicron sub-variants than with earlier variants.

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MDOC Covid-19 ‘Quarantine’ Reaps Financial Windfall for Corizon Health’s Investors

By Rand. W Gould, October 2021

Reprinted with permission from San Francisco Bay View National Black Newspaper

In early March 2020, the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) declared a so-called “medical quarantine” for influenza, i.e., the flu, that quickly morphed into the COVID-19 “quarantine” still in effect to this day. Just as quickly, MDOC health care provider Corizon Health, Inc., took full advantage of this quarantine to deny prisoners constitutionally mandated health care across the board, including dental, optical, hepatitis B and other vaccines, with all previously scheduled 2020 medical consults and surgeries canceled.

Continue reading “MDOC Covid-19 ‘Quarantine’ Reaps Financial Windfall for Corizon Health’s Investors” →