News & Commentary

Eric moved to Idaho from South Carolina ten years ago to reunite with his son. After having difficulty finding employment he went through a twenty-eight-day program at the VA and started his own transportation company. Eric enlisted in the Marine Corps right after high school in 1985 and stayed there for two years. He then did a lateral transfer and went to the army. He has two honorary discharges from two different branches in the U.S. Armed Forces. But he later got caught in the criminal legal system and was charged for possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, manufacture, and selling within close proximity to a school zone. He received three years, suspended and was put on probation, but during that time he was so deep in addiction that he couldn’t pass his drug tests, resulting in parole violation. He has been in and out of prison throughout his life and it wasn’t until the birth of his daughter that he decided to change his life around.

"I may have done some stupid things when I was young, but I wasn’t sentenced to life fixed or a death sentence. By IDOC not releasing me from this death trap, I feel I’ve been potentially re-sentenced to death."

In this cell or one very similar to it, where I now sit, writing at a tiny table with barely enough room to work my pen, is where I have been since the Covid-19 pandemic began.

Delbert came to Idaho in 2017. It was his one day trip to the state that resulted in his arrest and incarceration. He served 18 months in prison for possession of a controlled substance and carrying a 9mm gun in his car. He has approximately nine and a half years of parole left. Delbert is committed to turning his life around. After submitting multiple job applications and not even getting called in for an interview, he finally landed a job at Home Depot. In the nine months he has been there, he has been recognized as employee of the month and has received all sorts of awards and bonuses for his great work ethic. Delbert mentioned how the support at the IMSI Hope Community Phase II reentry center, his faith, and sheer determination played a big role on getting back on his feet and becoming the person he is today.

I first heard about COVID-19 in the news, and the first thing that crossed my mind was “I am going to die.” At I.S.C.C. they are doing a horrible job at keeping inmates safe. I have not been provided any resources or information of the safety measures to take to protect myself. What I know is only from what I hear/see on the news. The facility conducted COVID-19 test on July 10th, but I have felt discouraged to even seek medical care because the medical staff has been denying certain care and just say “we don’t do that anymore.”

I am an inmate within the Idaho Department of Corrections. I became aware of the Coronavirus via the news. I thought, “Oh, great, here’s another virus we need to be aware of.” At first, I wasn't really worried about it, but as time went on, seeing its rapid spread, I worried mainly about my family and friends and how it would affect them. At least they were in a position to deal with it as it presented itself. They have the choice and the option of self-isolation and using/wearing medical masks for their protection. Fortunately, the prison did supply us with masks. Plus, family/friends are able to apply, which I cannot do, social distancing at their discretion. 

To whom it may concern,

I learned about the pandemic on the news. When I heard about it I was more worried about my family getting it. I am not concerned about my health, only for my family. All the information and safety [measures] I have gotten are from the news, not in the prison.

COVID-19 entered this facility last week with one [case] and in just 7 days [the number of cases] has turned to 8. I’m in a dorm but it’s 3 people to an 8x6 cell.