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Contact: Evie Litwok, EvieLitwok@gmail.com

Should Mass Incarceration include a body count when trapped behind bars?

March 4, 2019: The devastation of two back-to-back tornadoes became clear as the sun rose above Lee County, Alabama. Journalists are on site, reporting on the heroic acts of first responders going door to door, both to raise awareness of the disaster and call for help. Homes and businesses have been destroyed…debris is strewn for miles… but the attention and call for help is not for everyone — what about the people trapped in prisons? There is not a word about correctional facilities.

In today’s age of “cell phone reporting,” the news media seems to pay attention only when dramatic video is captured of people screaming for help from the windows in their cells while freezing in a New York City jail. What happens to those in remote jails and prisons when a hurricane, flood or fire strike?

When a hurricane or tornado hits an area, why is there no reporting on the correctional facilities located there? Is it that society just doesn’t, care or is it something more sinister?

If you follow the money, you understand why these lives are put at risk. To put it bluntly, it’s expensive to evacuate or to keep incarcerated people safe. Budget constraints are driving poor decisions in government facilities and the “for profit” facilities chose “profit over people,” putting incarcerated lives constantly at risk. This constant risk to life goes unchecked without any pressure to change as…