More than 200 prison inmates from the Parchman Prison in Mississippi have filed a lawsuit against penitentiary officials and healthcare provider Centurion, a subsidiary of Centene Corp., for gross negligence and incompetence. The filing indicated that due to severe administrative oversights, hundreds of detainees were possibly exposed to the threat of COVID-19.
Representing the complainants were rap superstars Jay Z, Yo Gotti, and Team ROC Nation. The group’s lawyers reached out to the prison inmates, and the subsequent testimonies provided by the latter showed abhorrent living conditions inside the prison facilities. And among the most serious allegations was the near absence of medical care, thus putting much of the blame on Centurion.
The Centene subsidiary oversees the delivery of healthcare in Mississippi’s prison system. The suit said Centurion’s incompetence resulted in a deplorable situation for the prison inhabitants. Also, the inmates bemoaned the healthcare provider’s seeming tendency to downplay the coronavirus risk.
Zero Protection Against COVID-19
The testimonies obtained from the plaintiffs revealed that Centurion bungled on its one job to give the inmates adequate medical protection. There were no social distancing protocols in effect and the living quarters were left set up as if a pandemic does not exist.
There were claims too that the Parchman facility lacked personal protective equipment and isolation or confinement areas, sparking fears that an outbreak could quickly descend and infect inmates and prison personnel alike.
The team was also told that COVID-19 tests would not be made available unless a person manifests apparent symptoms of the disease. The inmates are already in a state of panic, which was further heightened by the reported death of one prisoner. The fatality was directly attributed to the coronavirus spread.
The inmates made clear that their lives were put at risk, and mainly because of medical care due to them cannot be readily accessed.
Centurion, Officials Neglected Their Duties
Rapper Yo Gotti stressed that the neglect his team had witnessed was unimaginable. Practically, those who were incarcerated at Parchman Prison were left to fend for themselves and made to bear inhumane living conditions. The team’s probe also drew attention to the fact that inmates were susceptible to the threats of violence, and in some instances, many felt helpless that they committed suicide.
That Centurion abandoned its commitment to serve is an understatement as the team again highlighted a pattern that has become associated with Centene-connected healthcare providers. It was clear from the testimonies given by the inmates that Centurion gives more priority to profits, and the detainees were written off as expendables.
The team demands that those responsible be held accountable, and Yo Gotti pointed to specific Mississippi government officials and Centurion as targets of the lawsuit. They must be brought to justice for the affliction caused on the prison inmates.
