Gary and I were promised medical care by the halfway house staff, as one of them specifically told me, "This is not the BOP; if you need healthcare, you get healthcare," going on to assure me that the endlessly long delays and medical abuse were in the past. That did not turn out to be true, unfortunately, as we have had to continue the fight for Gary to actually see healthcare providers. The halfway house severely restricted visitation, so we were allowed even less time together than the abusive BOP, only two hours a week which were specified by the halfway house, and most of the visitors who were allowed to visit him in prison were prohibited at the halfway house. No friends whatsoever, and only "immediate family" members were allowed to visit, but nobody at all could visit until completing an "orientation" session, which had to be done on Saturday morning.
One huge improvement at the halfway house, however, was the food. Gary was no longer being forced to survive on products that were labeled "not for human consumption," infested with rodent droppings and bugs, carrying food-borne pathogens, inedible, or unidentifiable - all of which were "normal" in the BOP. The federal prison industry gets almost everything wrong, and they have gotten themselves exempted from health and safety regulations, to the detriment of prisoners and their loved ones.
As Gary's mental state plummeted with sleep deprivation, he became physically sick as well. Medical care was promised but not delivered, but I was allowed to pick Gary up and take him to an appointment with a real actual licensed dentist(!) to begin repairing the damage to Gary's teeth caused by years of medical/dental abuse by the BOP. Like medical care in the BOP, dental care is almost non-existent. When prisoners get sick, proper treatment is not provided and the prisoners often die. And with almost no preventive care or regular cleanings, when a prisoner has a problem with a tooth, the only "treatment" provided is to pull it, without adequate pain relief, antibiotics or proper after-care. In Gary's case, he left prison with teeth that were broken and with an implanted crown that had fallen out, post and all. We have known men who arrived with nice smiles but ultimately had most of their teeth pulled, so while we are thankful that most of Gary's teeth survived, it is truly outrageous how much damage was done.
And every step of the way, I "advocated" for Gary to be allowed to come home in compliance with the law, informing numerous BOPers of the terrible and unlawful "conditions of Gary's confinement," and how he was being increasingly harmed and endangered. On Thursday, March 14th, Day 10 in the horrible halfway house and after nine nights without sleep, Gary was changed to home confinement; I picked him up and brought him home.
Of course, a lot of things change over eight and a half years. Most of our "furry children" didn't survive, but Dixie did. Here is a picture of Gary and Dixie taken as soon as Gary got home and they were - at long last - reunited.
JB: Nice! What's been accomplished so far in terms of enabling Gary to acclimate to being home and a more normal routine? Can he come and go at will?
JW: No. Unfortunately, the madness continues with Gary dealing with ridiculous, harmful and meaningless restrictions imposed by the halfway house AND the BOP. Not much about home confinement is even remotely "normal." Everything Gary needs or wants to do has to be submitted in writing well in advance. On a positive note, we have been able to go to church together, but our request to have Easter lunch with our family was refused, as one example. Gary cannot go outside, even to get the mail or put out the trash, without submitting written requests well in advance. Right now, we are dealing with an incredibly absurd situation. While working outside on June 12th, Gary was attacked and stung by yellowjackets. He located the nest and he submitted the written request for permission to go outside and exterminate the nest, hoping to avoid being attacked and stung in the future. But his request has been refused, leaving Gary and me, as well as Dixie, exposed to a very dangerous known risk.
This is a 72-year old man who is innocent but was wrongfully convicted of a non-violent white-collar charge, who will be free - released entirely - this month, but who is denied permission to go outside and spray yellowjackets or get the mail.
In trying to find normalcy, our focus has had to be healthcare, with Gary having so many problems and needs the BOP has refused to take care of for such a long time. One battle we hope we have now won is defeating cancer. Gary had asked for over 2???? years to have a troublesome place on his face checked by a competent dermatologist. The BOP eventually sent Gary to their agent, an INcompetent dermatologist who, in assembly-line style, gave Gary a cursory glance and told him he was fine, that the place on his face was "nothing." But it was NOT "nothing" - it was cancer, as determined by a biopsy performed recently by a dermatologist in Birmingham. Squamous cell carcinoma was the diagnosis, with referral for Moh's micrographic surgery to remove Gary's cancer. But even after having to fight for Gary to be allowed to see the dermatologist, and even after the biopsy proved he had cancer, Gary was not allowed to proceed with having the surgery he needed, obstructed by Keeton Corrections, the halfway house, and the BOP, which has a vested interest in preventing documentation of their failures to provide needed treatment. We had to mount a new fight - after a CANCER diagnosis. As I said, it's truly insane and purely abusive what we have to deal with because of the BOP and the halfway house.
JB: I have no snappy rejoinders to offer. That's really, really horrible - and so gratuitously mean-spirited. But, then again, why am I surprised? Anything you'd like to add before we wrap this up for now?
JW: Thank you, Joan. Compassion and understanding are qualities Gary has not encountered during his prison experience, including, now, the halfway house. It's hard to experience, hard to witness and hard to discuss. We'll share more next time.
JB: Thanks for talking with me, Judy. I'm so glad that Gary's finally back but that clearly isn't the whole story or the end of the story. We'll look forward to the next installment as he finishes his sentence altogether, handles his health issues and settles into being home again. Good luck with everything!
***
* The Judy White series, in its entirety:
Judy White Fights For Incarcerated Husband's Access to His Prescriptions October 13, 2010
Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
6
5
4
