(Editors note: Lumley unit has always been veiled in secrecy. Both inmates and staff go there for a reason. It’s rare we get an individual that is willing to tell her story. Remember, we don’t vet these stories, we only provide a platform for 1st Amendment rights.)
“I recently left Lumley unit after a three-year stint. Now that I’m removed from that toxic environment, I realize I became desensitized to the evil around me. Drugs were rampant there, largely due to UNATTENDED pill call lines. Women would ” cheek” their pills and sell them on the yard. Allegedly, many drugs came in through staff and contract jobs. The guard on closed custody was recently arrested, (as reported on CBS news) for having sex with inmates on a regular basis. Severely mentally ill people are housed in the general population.
I worked in Education, and I would be aware of the many ICSs and ambulances that would inundate Medical every day. Because this has become such an embarrassment for the DOC, they have gutted the old Programs building to house EMT staff and mental health advisers. This unit already has Perryville’s SNU (special needs unit, “hospice”) and IPC (inmate patient care, ” hospital “) so they are expanding. . For a prison the size of Perryville, there just isn’t enough hospital, or mental health crisis beds to accommodate this population. There are many directives in Judge Silver’s Order and Injunction; a big one is better mental and physical health care. We recently had a new inmate on A yard that tried to hang herself.
According to the paper, $334 million was earmarked to completely air condition Perryville. I’ve noticed no construction here. When it’s 118 degrees we all feel it. Perhaps that is one of the reasons for accelerating the assaults and fights on the yard. Although I’ve tried to address these issues at a Townhall meeting, those meetings are secretive, unscheduled, and questions go unanswered when lucky enough to attend.