Car Rally At MCI-Framingham Planned As Coronavirus Cases Grow

FRAMINGHAM, MA — As the number of cases inside MCI-Framingham continue to grow, relatives of inmates are increasing calls to release more prisoners. Those relatives will hold a car rally on Sunday afternoon to draw attention to their cause.

According to the state Department of Corrections, 70 women at MCI-Framingham and 14 staff had tested positive for coronavirus as of April 27. Of the 7,783 people incarcerated in state prisons, 733 had been tested as of Wednesday.

"There's a feasible, actionable solution: we need them to be released immediately," the rally organizers wrote in an online bulletin. "Over the last six weeks, our coalition has led a call for folks to ask the Department of Corrections, DAs, sheriffs, Gov. Charlie Baker, and others to release people from Massachusetts jails and prisons in order to flatten the curve and keep everyone safe from the rapid spread of COVID-19."

Inmates at Framingham have expressed fear about conditions inside the prison — the mother of one inmate told Patch that prisoners have been clustered in groups of two or three inside cells since the outbreak began.

Susan Sutherland's daughter, Robin Casali, is serving a life sentence and recently tested positive for coronavirus after more than a week of feeling sick. Casali was placed in quarantine on Saturday night, Sutherland said, but had been living in a cell with two other women.

"She's 53, in good health, but I'm still so worried," she told Patch.

Sutherland feels that the prison is not taking enough steps to keep inmates safe, like distributing masks and letting inmates live alone in cells.

The DOC has taken some measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Except for attorneys, no one is allowed to visit inmates. On April 3, DOC began limiting movement inside prisons. Inmates receive meals and medication in their cells, but were being allowed out to make calls and shower. Prison staff were supposed to wear personal protective equipment, and hand sanitizer stations have been set up inside prisons.

One prisoner, a woman in her 50s, died on April 19 at Framingham Union Hospital. Inmates feared she was a victim of coronavirus, but a DOC spokesman said she tested negative for the virus.

The state Supreme Judicial Court on April 3 ruled that some prisoners could be released from county jails and state prisons to prevent the spread of coronavirus. An April 27 report from the SJC said 203 inmates have been paroled, 13 released, 11 pretrial detainees released, and 23 inmates granted medical parole so far. Another 597 people have been released from county jails, according to the SJC report.

The MCI-Framingham car rally will begin around 1 p.m. at the prison, according to organizers.