My child deserves due process; the pandemic shows why our rights are precious
To protect her and her son’s identity, Missy asked to use a pseudonym.
He’s my first child and my best friend. I had my son when I was 19, and in some ways, we grew up together. I got to be there with him last year when his first child was born, and witnessed my grandchild come into the world -- it was one of the best days of my life.
Right now my child is locked up in a county jail, with no court date on the horizon, and I fear for his safety and health. Jails in our communities have no third party oversight, and I’m afraid guards are taking that lack of oversight as permission to mistreat the people they are supposed to keep safe. On Mother’s Day we planned a video call, but that call was cancelled abruptly without me getting the money I paid to have the video call back. When I do get to talk to my son, I’m hearing stories of guards acting chaotically and recklessly with the health of the people they’re supposed to protect. My son reported that one of his fellow inmates, who has a mental disability, was tased in the shower. He told me that last week the soap and shampoo he purchased was taken from him without warning -- he said the guards took everyone’s toiletries without explanation. Amid all this, his lawyer hasn’t called him back, and it’s unclear when he will ever get a court date.
My son, who hasn’t been convicted, should always know he has due process, that he will have a right to be safe and well, and that everyone in his community can trust they have the same protections. In our jails, without oversight, it looks like these protections and rights are breaking down during the pandemic. I worry for him, not knowing when he will get out or even get back to a safe situation, and I worry for our community as a whole who are also subject to this treatment. For us all to be safe, and well, we need to trust our jails are operating justly. This pandemic makes it clear that we have to address the question of whether incarceration makes us safe at all.
Missy, using a pseudonym, lives in Seattle, her son is currently in a county jail awaiting trial with no clear court date in sight. Do you have a story about what it’s like for people who are being held in jails in Washington? Want to share your experience to help us fight for better conditions? Share your story! Do you have a story about prisons and mass incarceration? Share your story here!