Marion Correctional Institution in Marion Ohio has created its own Covid 19 rules, which are contradictory to one another and carry heavy ramifications when a prisoner is in violation of one. A mass email was sent out to all offenders stating that it is mandatory to wear a mask when outside of the lock (dormitory). Since then many of us have been issued conduct reports for violation of rule 21, disobeying a direct order.
The dorm is not the only exception to the rules of wearing mask. We are allowed to be mask free when in the dining hall, recreation areas, outside, and the shower and restrooms. All of the places listed above have at least thirty people in one space at the same time and at most 200. There is a clear contradiction in these rules and staff at Marion are misusing their power with these "covid 19" write ups.
A rule 21 violation can result in weeks worth of commissary restrictions preventing prisoners from buying food from the store so that we can at least eat three meals a day and get the right amounts of nutritions needed. We have been limited to only two meals a day from the state for the last three months. The first meal is not served until 10am and the last at 3:30 pm. Other punishments are recreation restriction ( no exercise), bed restriction ( this is when an prisoner is told to stay at his bed for weeks with a few exceptions), extra duty ( in this a prisoner is called at any given time to clean the prison, serve food or whatever the staff comes up with). Worse is, these write-ups go on an our institutional record. The record will only show the violation as a number and a definition is given. If one of us is up for a parole or early judiciary release a judge will never know that we were written up for not wearing a mask. Write-ups can result in a parole board flop ( more time, 5 to ten years), or a judicial release being denied.
There is no way to social distance in prison. Majority of the day we are always within four feet of one another sharing bunk beds in the dorm, showering and defecating in open stalls, and eating together in the cafeteria. We wear our mask as told, however sometimes it is easy to forget or not see the point in wearing them due to our living conditions. Marion has created its own rules in this pandemic. The staff wear their mask when they want and the prisoners get punished for not wearing theirs.
If you see a problem with this speak up and share this message with whomever has a bigger voice than the men incarcerated in Marion. Target these ridiculous tickets and demand they be removed from our records and prohibited from being written again. Contact Warden Lyneal Wainwright, Deputy Warden Randen Watson, and the Chief of Unit Management at Marion Correctional Institution with your concerns.
"Fight the Power" - Public Enemy