According to military veteran, prisoners of war in Marion County Jail are treated better than inmates

To the Editor:

I want to make everyone in Marion County aware of the poor treatment of inmates in the Marion County Jail.

Having a loved one in prison myself and having experienced the treatment and conditions first hand, I can tell you it is worse than a concentration camp. As others have said, the food is horrific. It is worse than cheap dog food and the portions are as small as an elementary school student's lunch and barely meet nutritional needs. The guards are mostly vicious and treat the inmates like dirt (worse than dogs at a pound).

People need to know that the Marion County Jail provides little to no medical care to inmates. They replace prescribed medications with cheaper ones that rarely work if you are lucky enough to get medication. You can request a doctor's visit but then you are ignored for weeks. I was there for 10 days and never got my blood pressure medication. Inmates' medical needs are ignored which violates our right to the 8th Amendment which prohibits cruel and unusual punishment. The doctor there does not know that a hip or shoulder replacement is considered a prosthetic, which causes inmates to be in pain just trying to lay down on their cots.

The bunks are made of steel with flat, one-inch mats and no cushions. There aren't even plastic cups for inmates to drink from or prepare their ramen noodles from if they're lucky enough to get a canteen. Inmates only get what's called a “clean uniform” once a week and it's in poor condition.

The prison charges inmates $3.00 per day to stay and also receives tax money for each inmate. If the inmate does not have money to pay the $3.00 per day, the prisoner is deducted from the money his family puts into their cafeteria account before the inmate gets a penny. If I want my family member to get a $75.00 cafeteria order, I have to put down $150.00 plus fees, which is normally $175.00. The prison takes $100.00, leaving my family member with only $75.00. This is legalized extortion!

The Marion County Jail has ceased to be a prison and become a profitable business.

I understand that there are criminals in prison who have broken the law. That should not affect how they are treated. They deserve edible, nutritious food, proper medical care and fair treatment. And all of that is seriously lacking.

I was in the military and saw prisoner of war camps. Prisoners of war are treated much better than the inmates at the Marion County Jail.

Imagine if you or a loved one made a mistake and went to jail. Would you want them to be treated worse than a stray dog ​​at a shelter? I don't think so!

There are a lot of civil rights violations in this place and something needs to be done. How many more people – yes, the inmates are people – have to die or be tortured through cruel and unusual punishment before something is done?

Billy Woods, show us where our tax dollars and the money you receive from inmates and their families go! Show us your medical bills and prescription drug costs for our families!

Why do you mistreat the inmates? It's all about profit and your profit, not rehabilitation. Remember that there are both innocent people and criminals in this prison.
The people outside of prison, the taxpayers, must demand change! It is your loved ones, our loved ones, who are in there.

Demand change!

Martin Marszalek
Ocala