Anthony White, a convict at the Two Rivers Correctional Institute in eastern Oregon, knew things were going to get worse when he heard the news.
Another inmate who works at the prison infirmary told White that several people had just been transferred from Deer Ridge prison in Madras to Two Rivers. All newcomers tested positive for COVID-19.
“When I heard I was like, ‘Oh, we’re fucked up,'” White told The Oregonian / OregonLive, adding that he had little faith in prison staff to contain the virus. “They acted like they had everything under control. They felt very confident, but they were not ready ”.
On December 10, on the same day the transfer took place, two inmates tested positive at Two Rivers. The next day, five more were diagnosed with the virus. As of Wednesday, the prison had 95 active cases of more than 1,600 inmates.
Jennifer Black, a spokeswoman for the Oregon Department of Corrections, said the move came after Deer Ridge ran out of space to care for sick inmates.
“We are obliged to clinically care for those in our custody, and sometimes this requires them to be transferred to another institution,” Black said in a statement. Some inmates were also transferred to Snake River and Coffee Creek prisons.
She also said that none of the transferred inmates were allowed to enter the general population at Two Rivers, and the facility had at least one case before transfers arrived.
Meanwhile, the facility experienced an electrical problem last week that cut power to six housing units, where about 600 people who depended on backup generators live. But these generators were shut down from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm so that teams could work to solve the problem.
Black said prisoners could still use living rooms and telephones, and they were all given small LED lights to use in their cells.
White said the lights don’t always come on at 4:30 pm, and he only received the LED light on Tuesday, almost a week after the power outage. White said there was no power until 6:30 pm on Monday, and it was so dark in his cell that he couldn’t see his hand in front of his face.
White, 35, is serving a 19-year sentence for a series of robberies, thefts and an assault in Marion, Lane and Multnomah counties. During a robbery attempt in 2014, he was shot by an armored truck employee in Eugene. The shot left his legs paralyzed and last week a judge ordered him to be released and accused the Department of Corrections medical department for his “inhuman” treatment after they failed to follow the treatment recommendations of a pain specialist who examined him.
White said he feared falling out of his wheelchair without lights to light his cell.
“It has been a horrible experience,” he said.
Black said the prison is working to resolve the power problem, which was probably due to faulty wiring.
“We understand that this is a terribly difficult time for employees and (inmates),” said Black. “We are working hard to resolve the problem.”
Adding to the difficulties at Two Rivers, White said, is the team’s inability to effectively quarantine new infections as they arise. On Monday morning, White said, his entire unit was tested and between three and five was positive. That afternoon, while police officers let prisoners leave their cells to use the infirmary, people with a positive test could mix with those who had a negative result.
They were also using phones, sinks and showers with no visible effort to sanitize the areas, White said.
Asked about White’s description of infected prisoners mixing with uninfected ones, Black did not address the situation directly, but said the prison was, like the rest of the state, struggling to adapt to the increase in cases.
“The Two Rivers Correctional Institution is managing a major facility problem and a COVID-19 outbreak,” she said. “There are currently 120 (internal) cases active in the TRCI. Staff (Department of Corrections) are making decisions based on medical and operational experience, but as always, are limited by the institution’s design and availability of designated COVID-19 positive beds across the state. “
She said that those who tested positive are being housed in units of the general population, but are being “cohorts” of other inmates.
Still, the growing number of cases, along with the power outage, left many in prison feeling desolate.
“It is not just the outbreak. There is no electricity, ”he said. “I feel helpless. A lot of guys do.”
– Kale Williams; [email protected]; 503-294-4048; @sfkale