LOCKDOWN LOOMING IN MASSACHUSETTS PRISONS
By Eddie O’Brien
As Governor Charlie Baker’s October 17 vaccine deadline mandate approaches, the Massachusetts Department of Corrections (DOC) are preparing for all state prisons to be put into lockdown.
In August, Baker ordered a vaccine mandate for every Executive Branch employee to prove that they are fully vaccinated by October 17.
Prison Guards, who are Executive Branch employees, have until this Sunday to prove that they are fully vaccinated. If they have not been vaccinated by then they will be suspended.
As of this week, only 60 percent of guards are vaccinated. The majority of the hold outs are waiting on a hail Mary pass from the Governor to ease up on his mandate. Hoping that they can talk him into mandatory testing each week instead of vaccinations.
There is a number of guards who are eligible to retire at the moment. The word is that if the mandate is not lifted then most of them will be putting in their retirement papers. Which will lead to a shortage of guards throughout the prison system.
Rumors are running rampart in the prison blocks. Everything to complete lock downs to modified lock downs. With the cancellation of everything from visitation and recreation to programming and schooling.
The rumors on staffing are even worse. The National Guard working the outside of the prison and taking care of prisoner transportation. Maintenance workers and caseworkers will be working the blocks in place of the retired and suspended guards. With the programming staff and schoolteachers working in the prison’s kitchen.
There is an over/under bet by some of the prisoners on how soon it will be that a video will be released by the DOC that will show some kind of made-up disturbance in a prison to invoke fear into the public and force Baker to lift his mandate.
Prisoners just hope that they’re not treated the same way when the coronavirus first hit our state. The Courts have already told the DOC that the way they reacted to the initial state of emergency last year was wrong and unconstitutional. Will history be repeating itself this Sunday? Time will tell.