“They’re the most reactionary system that exists and its like they don’t even care. It’s as if they’re just running operations like normal until the virus gets here, waiting until the last minute.” – prisoner at Gus Harrison CF
“No one here is telling us anything, so basically we are sitting ducks. I can’t express how that feels. It’s a horrible feeling. In so many words, we are expendable. ” – prisoner at Thumb CF
“I have a lot of family support. I have everything that I need, and more. but there’s a lot of people in here that are struggling, so the least they can do is pass out soap to keep your hands clean, and take your temperature. Just asking you if you are OK isn’t enough.” – prisoner at Thumb CF
“We are just scared in here to die in prison, and to lose a family member.” – prisoner at Thumb CF
To address the fears suffered by prisoners’ and their families throughout the Spring months as the coronavirus spread across Michigan’s Department of Corrections SawariMedia, with the support of the Detroit Justice Center, distributed thousands of dollars to people in prison in over a dozens of the hardest hit facilities (including Gus Harrison, Parnell and Lakeland Correctional Facilities) for coronavirus care pack aid and relief. Our work focused on targeting facilities that have been recorded with cases in MDOC.
Now that the CARES act has been updated to be inclusive of incarcerated citizens rather than maintain the mutual aid fund, SawariMedia is supporting people in prison and their outside networks through the process of applying for stimulus funds that have recently been made available through the CARES Act.
[CLOSED] Former mutual aid effort addressing the lack of support for incarcerated citizens during the pandemic onset.
See and support newly secured national effort to get stimulus checks for incarcerated citizens below.