JON WEBB

Coronavirus: COVID-19 infections are rising rapidly in Indiana prisons | Webb

Jon Webb
Evansville Courier & Press

So far in Vanderburgh County, it’s only happened once.

The local jail saw its first confirmed case of COVID-19 last month when a man nabbed on “suspicion of intoxication” in Henderson County, Kentucky, tested positive on April 23.

He was placed in medical isolation, Sheriff Dave Wedding told the Courier & Press at the time, and his former cellmates went into quarantine.

Vanderburgh County has taken extra precautions as this pandemic has rampaged across the world. Employees wear masks and gloves and any new booking is reportedly kept away from the general jail population for five days.

More:Vanderburgh Co. jail inmate tests positive for COVID-19, not showing symptoms: Sheriff

More:Vanderburgh County jail bookings down sharply amid coronavirus restrictions

But none of that has stopped the coronavirus from ripping through prisons around the state.

Outbreaks have lashed Western Kentucky as well. On Tuesday morning, officials announced a third inmate had died from COVID-19 at the Green River Correctional Complex in Muhlenberg County.

More than 150 cases rage through that prison, and an inmate told the Lexington Herald Leader that workers only wear masks “when they want to.”

“It’s just insane in here,” Jeffrey Rowland said in a phone interview. “You’ve got six guys who have tested positive living in my dorm, and they’re exposing it to everyone else.”

Cases rising in Indiana

The Indiana Department of Correction usually provides daily coronavirus updates on its website, breaking down the number of infections, deaths and quarantines among inmates and staff.

As of Tuesday, it had reported 692 total cases – 487 prisoners and 205 staffers. It’s confirmed 10 COVID deaths among prisoners and “presumes” three others.

Two staffers have also died — the first of which was 67-year-old Gary Weinke, who worked at the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility for 13 years.  

Just like everywhere else is this nauseating reality of ours, prison cases have exploded in recent weeks.

According to RTV 6, only 56 total people in the state system had tested positive as of early April. But wider-spread testing — and more infections — have caused that number to spike.

Some facilities have suffered more than others. Branchville, the closest state prison to Evansville, has seen a relatively low 10 cases and zero deaths.

Westville, meanwhile, has had it worse. Between prisoners and staff, there have been 208 cases and three deaths. At one point in April, 92 percent of the prisoners tested for COVID-19 came back with a positive result, The Hill reported.

The jump in cases makes a sick kind of sense. Prisons are often overcrowded and riddled with poor hygiene, making them perfect breeding grounds for the virus.

IDOC touts a thorough coronavirus response on its website, including a “comprehensive approach which includes prevention, testing, appropriate treatment, education and infection control measures.”

But reported problems in Indiana prisons recently leaked into the national news.

Dennis

NPR identified him only as “Dennis.”

The inmate at Plainfield – which has seen more than 100 cases and three deaths – told his wife he was terrified. A fellow inmate housed near him suffered from a high fever, and he claimed authorities waited hours to haul the man into isolation.  

“He is about three feet from me right now,” he wrote to his wife. “… I can tell you right now, with nearly 100 percent certainty, that I am going to get this virus.”

Dennis was one of dozens of inmates across the county who reached out to NPR and Kaiser Health News. Another Plainfield prisoner claimed he resorted to building a blanket fort in his cell to try to shield himself from other inmates.

Problems will continue in prisons all over the globe as long as the virus hangs around. And as of now, it’s showing no signs of receding.

Any change will require ginning up public sentiment for inmates — something that's never been easy. But just because someone is a convicted criminal doesn't mean they don't deserve protection.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced in early April that he would start releasing low-level offenders in an effort to reduce jail population. But Gov. Eric Holcomb has refused to follow suit.

Contact columnist Jon Webb at jon.webb@courierpress.com.