“The jail is very dirty – it has been unclean and mismanaged for a long time. There is currently an outbreak of ear infections and skin infections. In my dorm of 20 men, five have ear infections (including myself – I need antibiotics – external antibiotics failed so now I am on oral antibiotic ‘sulfamethoxazle’.
The skin conditions are even more numerous. The nurse, Julie Foster, (a kind person) is busy. She often prescribes an antihistamine first, fruitlessly, then external antibiotics mostly fruitlessly, then amoxicillin or the thing I am on are taken orally.
There is a lice outbreak in the female dorm.
OVER HALF THE DORM IS SICK. I put in a request to waive the $20 nurse visit fees during this time of epidemic sickness in the jail.
I would push to get the Dept of Health to investigate the jail beginning in Dorm ‘F’ where air samples will fail. However, I cannot do those things myself.”
*************
“Many inmates with infections do not want to pay medical fees. Given the current epidemic that the nurse Julie Foster does recognize, most medical fees are now being waived in “F” dorm. It may be a combination of two problems: Bacterial, and a form of scabies. We need the Dept of Health to inspect whether the cause is from the water, food preparation, or air ducts.
Julie Foster is working to solve the problem while Chief Jailer Captain Sharon Price is working to conceal the problem, angrily denying facts of liability in the presence of myself, the nurse, and guards.
F dorm is housing mostly inmates from Cauldwell County, and predictably they show signs of infection, digestive disorders, and skin conditions within 10 days in the facilities.”
***************
“In F dorm, there is a permanent puddle under the common sink. The painted cement floor is very slippery when wet. I saw 60 year old Kevin Drew slip and fall – he was hurt for a week. The skylight also leaks when it rains.
Thick dust clings to every vertical surface – walls and pillars – 15 feet high. Filth on horizontal surfaces – especially in the air ducts – is even thicker accumulation. It appears that the ventilation system is badly in need of service. Ventilation and temperature are affected by closing the food trap near the door: It has been closed to punish us for reaching out the hole to obtain sheets and bedding. Closing the trap door restricts air flow and raises the temperature.
We also have been punished by being forbidden access to the broom (someone misused the broom handle to lift water bags). There is no trash can in the dorm. Sometimes there is a trash BAG, but sometimes there is even no trash bag and trash piles up in that spot.
If there is ever soap at the sink, it’s only because an inmate put it there. Most often there is no soap at all because prisoners use it to wash clothes: The weekly laundry service is often delayed and always smells musty, inspiring inmates to wash their clothes by hand. Occasionally there are gnats in the shower area. The mop is only available every few days. Disinfectant spray has only been brought to the dorm 1 time during my stay.
The jail issues a denim outfit for inmates to wear. Inmates must rely on care packages, usually from friends and family, to obtain things like socks, underwear, or a shirt. The jail issues an inmate ONE single denim outfit, creating a crisis when attempting to obtain clean laundry – inmates can’t go naked while their clothes are being washed, so many prisoners simply do not wash their clothes, and some wear bed sheets while awaiting clean clothes – an incredible liability in a place where fights break out frequently.”
Guilty Until Proven Wealthy 