Today in a press conference with Governor Charlie Baker and members of the Massachusetts COVID-19 task force, we got this news (also posted on Mass.gov website) that 80,000 people in “congregate settings” including those locked up and associated with correctional facilities will receive the COVID vaccine between December, 2020 and February, 2021. Since it is a two-part vaccine, it will take some time to work and administer. The info was reported by Dr. Paul Biddinger of Mass General.

The Boston Globe reported that Baker said there would also be a racial justice component to the vaccine rollout plan. He said, “We recognize that the pandemic has disproportionately affected communities of color and low-income people.”

Baker added. “Our vaccine advisory board has been intently focused on ensuring that these voices have been heard during the planning process, and included representatives from this community. Communities of color and at-risk populations are prioritized in distribution timelines, and our administration will be focusing intently on reaching these individuals and making clear that the vaccine is safe and effective.”

The non-profit Prison Policy Initiative has said, as of December 8, that five other states have definitively put incarcerated people in Phase 1 of their vaccine distribution, including Delaware, Maryland, Nebraska, Connecticut, and New Mexico. Many are putting corrections officers in Phase 1.

Please read my article here as to why it is so important to stop the spread in Massachusetts prisons which was up to 14% as of December 6, 2020.

                                 Photo courtesy of WJHG Florida

The numbers are bad at Norfolk MCI as everyone has been reporting but as these numbers show, they are bad everywhere! This was as of Friday, November 13, 2020. 

These are current numbers ( per Committee for Public Counsel Services which compiled this from many sources –mainly the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts).

NOTE HOWEVER: MCI-Norfolk has a total of approximately 248 new COVID-19 cases between 10/26/20 and 11/12/20, but DOC appears to only report publicly “active” cases, making the outbreak seem smaller. There has been no further testing since 11/06/20. 

The DOC is determining that individuals are no longer “active” cases 10 days from the point of testing as long as they don’t have a fever and report no symptoms. According to an attorney, “It has been reported to me that most guys are going to deny symptoms because the quarantine conditions are deplorable and they want to return to their normal cells.”

“DOC also appears to be distorting numbers by not providing test results efficiently. I had clients in the same unit who were tested on the same day, and yet, one received his test results two days after testing and was placed in one of the quarantine units, while the other (who was absolutely sick), did not receive test results until an entire week after the test, and was then moved to a quarantine unit. Both left quarantine yesterday, 10 days after the test.”

All new cases (~281 total):

• Berkshire: 5 positive COs
• Bristol: 1 positive prisoner, 2 positive COs, 1 positive staff
• Essex: 1 positive CO
• Hampden: 5 positive COs, 3 positive staff
• Middlesex: 1 positive staff
• Plymouth: 1 positive staff
• Suffolk: 2 positive COs
• Worcester: 3 positive COs
• DOC-wide: 191 positive prisoners, 38 positive staff
  • MASAC: 24 positive staff
  • MCI-Norfolk: 167 positive prisoners, 9 positive staff
  • BSH: 1 positive staff
  • OCCC: 2 positive staff
  • MCI-CJ: 2 positive staff
  • MCI-C: 3 positive prisoners, 14 positive staff
  • MCI-Shirley: 24 positive prisoners, 6 positive staff
  • SBCC: 1 positive staff
  • Non-facility: 3 positive staff

All active cases (228 total):

• Barnstable: 1 active staff
• Berkshire: 5 active staff
• Bristol: 1 active prisoner, 3 active staff
• Hampden: 1 active prisoners, 10 active staff
• Middlesex: 1 active staff
• Plymouth: 1 active staff
• Suffolk: 3 active staff
• DOC (no facility or DOC-wide metric for active COs/staff/contractors):
  • MCI-Norfolk: 175 active prisoners
  • MCI-C: 3 active prisoners
  • MCI-Shirley: 24 active prisoners

Please see my newest article at DigBoston:  KOONCE MAKES “COMPELLING” CASE IN 5-PLUS HOUR COMMUTATION HEARING.Photo of Koonce and his son, Thomas Andrews at MCI Norfolk (2012) via Koonce family

The article begins:

“On Tuesday, Oct. 27, Massachusetts held its second commutation hearing for life-sentenced prisoner Thomas Koonce, who was denied a commutation by then-Gov. Deval Patrick’s Advisory Board of Pardons in 2010. No one serving a life without parole sentence has been granted a commutation since 1997.” More

Please see my newest article in DIGBoston:

“While members of the public can listen in on this hearing for Thomas Koonce without seeing it, they are unable to record the hearing”  MORE

Honored to be interviewed on October 9th and talked a lot about juvenile justice and Boy With A Knife but also about the state of injustice in this country in a more global sense. Thanks Daren Jaime