This is what the health of the prisoners is worth…
From a letter of a prisoner locked up in Mammagialla
On 25th March news came of a screw on duty at the prison of Mammagialla resulting positive to the corona virus. The news was given to the prisoners officially, assuring them that the cop had been isolated. The only measure taken to prevent contagion inside was to give tests to the other 36 screws. According to the prison governor, they all came back negative. At this point it could be said that 581 prisoners are crammed into Mammagialla, which has places for 431 people. So each screw watches about fifty prisoners.
Obviously, in spite of the already considerable overcrowding, the comings and goings of newcomers and transferred prisoners never ceases, they only have their temperature checked in a tent set up outside the prison. No swabs are being taken and after a few days’ isolation, «fine, off to the incubator for covid-19, the sections». The prison governor informed the prisoners that a section had been set up near the chief’s office where eventual positive cases would be contained (which, if swabs are not being done?). Doubts naturally arise, given the constant overcrowding: where has this “section” been set up?
For now they’re giving us sops: the cells stay open many hours a day, “free” showers every day, “unlimited” telephone calls also to non-notified numbers, “new” mattresses and perhaps also a couple of channels more on the fucking “lies-vision”.
In spite of the many requests for house arrest, responses are slow to arrive, even for those with only a month left to do. «A surveillance judge made his appearance via web dispensing his proverbial wisdom to us poor sinners, but the delays concerning early releases, syntheses and various assessments are a sword of Damocles hanging over us».
As far as protective equipment is concerned, «there are no masks, not for everybody at least. Some that look like spare parts for the “swiffer” [floor mop] were provided and I won’t say where they ended up».
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Translated by act for freedom now!