MEDICAL
HAMILTON CI: OVERCROWDED AND DISEASED
Governor Bush:
Just two days ago I received urgent communication from Union CI here in Florida. "We have an outbreak throughout the prison of Hepatitis C. There are sick inmates working in the kitchen and we believe the disease is being spread via the food."
Today I received a letter from Hamilton CI concerning the same issues of overcrowding, sick inmates in the kitchen, and Hepatitis C epidemics.
I'm positive I'm not the only citizen who wants to know what is going on, and what plans the Governor and the Secretary of Corrections and the Health Department have to reduce the risk to society. These are major healthcare costs, whether the problem is tackled in prison or on the streets, and I'll bet you can guess which one I recommend.
Sir, you and I both know mass incarceration assures these risks will happen, and your solutions will affect every citizen, even if they don't fully recognize it yet.
How about a statement that hasn't been whitewashed?
Visualizing Leaders With Conscience,
Kay Lee
2613 Larry Court
Eau Gallie, Florida 32935
321-253-3673
May 22, 2001
Dear Kay,
Things are becoming more of a mess here at Hamilton CI. Since the end of 2000, for some unknown reason, the main unit of this camp has been becoming severely overcrowded with inmates. For example, on 12-29-2000, the Main Unit population was 893 inmates. On 5-18-2001, the main unit population was 1,134, an increase of 241 people in five months.
The total population for the Main Unit, Annex, and Work Camp between the same two time periods rose from 2,468 to 2,754 - or 286 more inmates and all but 45 were put here in the Main Unit. The difference being, the Main Unit is the compound experiencing the increase and to make matters worse, the individual departments at the Main Unit have not allowed for this increase in population, e.g. kitchen, medical, canteens, library, law library, etc. Plus, we could maybe stuff another 150 or 200 men in, but they are bringing more inmates to the Main Unit every week until it's totally full.
A very dangerous situation will more than likely occur before the summer's over and we will more than likely end up locked down during the hot weather. Too many things are happening that point to this. On a daily basis there are now fights, assaults, and drug busts occurring. So, as more inmates are jammed into this relatively small area (Main Unit), inmates are pushed closer together. Kay, you need to actually see it yourself to believe it. I am not exaggerating.
These officials running Hamilton CI have got to know there's a serious situation soon to occur. It's obvious to everyone here, but they keep bringing inmates in like everything's alright.
Kay, there's another major situation that I have been made aware of since the first of the year. I'm speaking for both Jason Wilson and myself concerning this issue and the issue is about the current epidemic of hepititis C that is now out of control inside the Florida Department of Corrections. Both Jason and myself were recently informed by medical doctor Emanuel that we both tested positive for hepatitis C (HCV) around January. But the unusual thing about our being told this is that neither one of us had HCV before we entered FDOC, and neither one of us have engaged in any kind of activity that would have caused us to become infected.
That severely narrows the causes of us becoming infected, so we both have deduced that we, and many others, have contracted HCV through unsanitary conditions in food service. Blood and other bodily fluids are ways of contracting HCV. I don't know if you know this, but medical health experts are estimating that up to 60% of the nation's two million prisoners are currently infected with HCV.
Of course, the DOC, in their typical stance, does not want to address this epidemic due to the astronomical cost to screen and treat all infected inmates. But the estimates mean there could be as many as 30 to 40 thousand FDOC inmates currently infected, and there's only 72,000 prisoners in Florida state prisons.
Jason and I are contemplating a soon to be filed 42 U.S.C. suit 1983 in the U.S. District Court, Tallahassee, if nothing more than to bring the epidemic to the public's awareness. We know it's all about money for the DOC. They prefer to remain silent, as they are well accustomed to doing.
We wonder if you'd be willing to display this information on the website. I know you are very busy maintaining what you have already go going, so we don't want to overburden you with another issue. However, this is a major issue that would affect thousands of inmates currently incarcerated. A lawsuit would benefit all of them in the event it goes class action, as we will request the court's permission to do.
Kay, this is not just a prison matter. Thousands of inmates are bringing this disease into the system where they contracted it on the streets, but thousands of inmates are also being released back into the communities each year infected with HCV. This is no small matter.
This issue must be brought to the public's attention, and what better way to accomplish this than the internet and your site?
We will be looking to hear from you soon.
Sincerely yours,
Rickey Cotten
X14649 G2152
Hamilton Correctional Institution
10650 S.W. 46th Street
Jasper, Florida 32052