“Prison health in an unhealthy place.”
It is at first blush somewhat odd to expect healthcare in a place where essentially no one really cares about you. Prisons are the slums of the state, for it is more often than not an abode of the poor and the dwelling place of the impoverished. Prisons rarely house the wealthy and, to a lesser degree, the same might be said of the healthy.
They are a social-political construction erected to provide recession-proof jobs to rural, depressed white communities. These communities in turn benefit from the plethora of jobs attracted by prisons not just in the realm of so-called security but healthcare as well. It should therefore surprise no one that the healthcare provided is of substantially lower quality than the poor healthcare provided to poor communities and in working class neighborhoods.
One of the most significant challenges facing both prisoners and freed communities is Hepatitis C which causes liver damage and related illnesses. While Hep C is actually curable, the cost of antiviral drugs is prohibited. The going market price for these drugs is about $1,000 a pill or about $90,000 for a full daily regimen of, let’s say, 8 to 12 weeks. Who can afford that, free or in prison?
But health, like any other social good, comes through struggle. There have been legal attacks, yes, protests and public calls for making these drugs available. Some have prevailed. Others have not. The struggle continues across the country.
Thank you for your time. From imprisoned nation, this is Mumia Abu-Jamal.
These commentaries are recorded by Noelle Hanrahan of Prison Radio.
![Prison Radio is sharing an abbreviated version of a press release covering recent racist incidents at SCI Rockview in PA and the organizing to demand accountability. We are reaching out to people incarcerated at Rockview as well as recently transferred folks, inviting them to call, in hopes of hearing commentaries from them.
Benner Township, PA.-
On November 24th, 2023, imprisoned people at SCI Rockview found two nooses hanging in the CO’s office, displayed visibly for many prisoners to see. When the prisoners asked the staff why the nooses were hung, they were told it was a joke.
By December 4th, prisoners filed a grievance to document what they saw, noting that the hanging of the nooses was “unethical, racially motivated, hateful, [a] deliberate debasement of black inmates" and “unsafe for inmates, staff, [and] the whole prison in general.” In the grievance, they demanded that Sgt. Mosser and CO Richard be fired and investigated for a hate crime, and for CO Kirchner to get therapy. Captain Andrews, the head of security, denied the grievance.
The sergeant and COs are still working in the prison to this day, with no repercussions...
As of March 10th, prisoners have reached out to Pennsylvania officials at the Dept. of Corrections in a letter campaign, sending 100 copies of the grievance. Copies of the letter also were mailed to Governor Shapiro, Senator Fetterman, Senator Street, and various advocacy groups. The demands for relief in the original grievance have now become the platform of demands for this campaign. About 20 of the 100 letters were withheld by the prison.
Activists on the outside are joining forces with prisoners to elevate their demands, flooding the phone lines of DOC offices, assisting with outreach to media, and circulating the stories of prisoners who have found unity in opposition to the facility's virulent institutional racism.
In any other workplace, hanging a noose would be grounds for immediate termination. However, Nicki Paul, the superintendent's assistant and "grievance coordinator" informed the public that they self-investigated their staff and found they did nothing wrong.
Read the full article at i
https://conta.cc/4ayDxlB](https://www.prisonradio.org/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)