AND
AND SPEAKING WITH SOME TERRI+@FD FAMILIES WHO WORRY THEIR LOVED
ONES AND BEEN FORGOTTEN.
>>> I'M AFRAID I'M GOING TO DIE.
I WROTE MY WILL.
>+@> I UNDERSTAND THEY'RE
CRIMINALS, B+@UT THEY'RE STILL
HUMAN BEINGS.
HUMAN BEINGS. >> I NEVER DENIED WHAT I DID
WRONG.
WRONG.
WRONG. >>
WRONG. >> HE'S NOT TRYING TO GET OUT OF
PRISON.
PRISON.
PRISON. HE JUST WANTS TO STAY
ALIVE.
ALIVE.
ALIVE. >>
ALIVE. >> Reporter: MARY BODLEY LIVES
JUST 25 MINUTES FROM HER SON,
BUT HER FIRST BORN MIGHT AS WELL
BE A WORLD AWAY.
MARCUS PEARSON
MARCUS PEARSON I+@S A PRISONER AT THE FEDERAL
PRISON UNIT IN SEAGEVILLE.
>> HE FEELS VERY DEFEATED.
HE
HE
HE FEELS
HE FEELS DETHAN HUMAN.
THEY DON'T
THEY DON'T CARE.
CARE.
CARE. >>
CARE. >> Report+@er: MARCUS TESTED
POSITIVE FOR COVID-19.
OUT OF
OUT OF
OUT OF ALMOST 1,800 INMATES, 72% HAVE
CONTRACTED THE ILLNESS.
THAT'S
THAT'S
THAT'S CURRENTLY+@ MORE THAN ANY OTHER
FEDERAL FACILITY IN THE COUNTRY.
MARCUS CALLED US FROM THE PRISON
WHERE HE IS SERVING TIME ON A
DRUG CONVICTION.
DRUG CONVICTION. >> HELLO?
>> HELLO?
>> HELLO? >> MARK US?
+@
>>
>> YES,
>> YES, MA'AM. >> Reporter: HE HAS SEVERE
ASTHMA, COVID-19 COULD EASILY BE
A DEATH SENTENCE.
>> HOW ARE YOU DOING TODAY?
>> I'M DOING WELL, HOW ARE YOU?
>>
>> I'VE
>> I'VE BEEN BETTER. >> WHY DO+@ YOU THINK COVID-19 S
SPREAD SO RAPIDLY IN SEAGOVILLE?
>> BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T ENFORCE
MASKS AND GUARD+@S WEREN'T WEARG
MASKS AND THEY WERE JUST MIXING
PEOPLE TOGETHER.
PEOPLE TOGETHER. >> Reporter: TWO MONTHS AGO,
FEDERAL PRISON OFFICIALS
>> Reporter: TWO MONTHS AGO, FEDERAL PRISON OFFICIALS+@
APPEARING BEFORE CONGRESS SAID
THEY WERE GETTING THE VIRUS
UNDER CONTROL.
UNDER CONTROL. >> WE ARE BEGINNING TO FLATTEN
THE CURVE.
THE CURVE. >> Reporter: BUT IN THE TWO
MONTHS SINCE THAT HEARING, THE
NUMBER OF CASES HAS EXPLODED IN
THE NATION'S FEDERAL PRISONS.
THERE ARE 129,000 FEDERAL
INMATES.
INMATES.
INMATES. SO FAR, MORE THAN
10,000 HAVE TESTED POSITIVE
COVID-19.
COVID-19.
COVID-19. 101 HAVE DIED, AS HAS
ONE STAFF MEMBER.
RIGHT NOW
RIGHT NOW
RIGHT NOW TEXAS IS THE HOT SPOT.
BESIDES
BESIDES
BESIDES SEAGOVILLE, ANOTHER NORTH TEXAS
PRISON RANKS SECOND, THE
CARSWELL MEDICAL CENTER IN FORT
WORTH.
WORTH.
WORTH. >>
WORTH. >> THE ONLY PEOPLE COMING INSIDE
+@
+@ WERE
+@ WERE +@THE NURSES AND THE DOCTOS
AND THE WARDEN.
THOSE ARE THE
PEOPLE THAT BROUGHT THAT INTO
THE PRISON.
THE PRISON. >> Reporter: MARCUS SAYS THE
VIRUS SPREAD THROUGH HIS
BUILDING AFTER A GUARD CAME TO
WORK SICK.
WORK SICK. PRISON OFFICIALS TOLD
US THAT EVERYONE ENTERING THE
UNIT IS SCREENED AND THOSE WITH
ELEVATED TEMPERATURES ARE DENIED
ENTRY.
ENTRY.
ENTRY. THEY ALSO SAY AS MUCH AS
POSSIBLE, STAFF ARE ASSIGNED TO
THE SAME POSTS AND NOT ROTATING
TO MITIGATE THE SPREAD OF THE
VIRUS.
VIRUS.
VIRUS. MARCUS TOLD US HE FELL
ILL ABOUT A MONTH AGO.
>> I HAD DIARRHEA FOR FIVE DAYS,
COUGHING, LUNGS HURTING, MY
KIDNEYS HURTING.
KIDNEYS HURTING. I SPENT THREE
DAYS WITH 101 TEMPERATURE.
>> Reporter: MARCUS TOLD US
HUNDREDS OF INMATES ARE
DESPERATELY ILL.
DESPERATELY ILL. >> WELLS A LOT OF COUGHING.
ONE
ONE
ONE GUY
ONE GUY HAS TELLING ME HIS KIDNEYS
ARE HURTING FOR TWO WEEKS AND
STILL HADN'T SEEN A DOCTOR.
>> Reporter: CALLIE'S DAD IS
ALSO AT SEAGOVILLE.
THE
THE
THE 66-YEAR-OL+@D IS SER+@VING TIME
THE 66-YEAR-OL+@D IS SER+@VING TIMEA
+@
66-YEAR-OL+@D IS SER+@VING TIMEA DRUG CONVICTION.
DRUG CONVICTION. >> HE WAS WARNING ME, I HAVE TO
DO SOMETHING, IF I DON'T, I'M
GOING TO CATCH IT AND DIE.
>> Reporter: JAMES HAS DIABETES,
+@
+@ HEART
+@ HEART DISEASE, AND RESPIRATORY
PROBLEMS.
PROBLEMS.
PROBLEMS. >> WHEN COVID FIRST STARTED, I
KNOW SEVERAL PRISONS AND SEVERAL
PEOPLE WERE ABLE TO GET RELEASED
ON, LIKE, A HOME CONFINEMENT
THING, WHEN HE TRIED TO DO
BECAUSE OF HIS MEDICAL ISSUES.
>> SHE SAYS HIS CLAIM WAS
DENIED.
DENIED.
DENIED. THE PRISON SYSTEM IS
TRANSENERGY PRISON+@ERS WHO HAVE
SERVED A CERTAIN PORTION OF
THEIR SENTENCE, BUT CALLIE'S DAD
+@
THEIR SENTENCE, BUT CALLIE'S DAD DIDN'T MAKE THAT PRISON.
>> ONCE IT HIT THAT PRISON, IT
HIT IT HARD.
>> Reporter: HER DAD WAS IN THE
HOSPITAL FOR DAYS WHEN PRISON
OFFICIALS CONTACTED HER.
>> I WAS LIVID.
I WAS, LIKE, ARE
YOU KIDDING ME?
I SAID Y'ALL WAITED A WHOLE
WEEK.
WEEK.
WEEK. >>
WEEK. >> SHE SAID+@ HE WAS BEING PUT N
A VENTIL+@ATOR.
A VENTIL+@ATOR. >> HE WAS HAVE TO STOP AND CATCH
HIS BREATH AND HE JUST +@TOLD ME
HE LOVED ME.
MY DAD IS A VERY
STRONG-WILLED MAN.
STRONG-WILLED MAN. I'VE NEVER
I'VE NEVER SEEN HIM CRY BEFORE.
>> SHE SAYS PRISON OFFICIALS
WON'T GIVE HER ANY INFORMATION
ABOUT HER DAD, CITING MEDICAL
PRIVACY LAWS.
PRIVACY LAWS. +@
PRIVACY LAWS. >> I DON'T KNOW IF MY DAD IS
ALIVE.
ALIVE.
ALIVE. I
ALIVE. I DON'T KNOW IF MY DAD IS
DEAD.
DEAD.
DEAD. YOU'RE TREATING HIM LIKE
HE'S AN ANIMAL.
I GET HE DID
WRONG THINGS AND I GET HE HAS TO
S+@ERVE HIM TIME.
I 100% AGREE
WITH THAT.
WITH THAT. I SAID BUT THE
FAMILIES DID NOTHING.
I, MYSELF
I, MYSELF
I, MYSELF D+@ID NOTHING.
D+@ID NOTHING. >> Reporter: LIKE KALLEE, MARY
KNOWS HER SON HAS TO SERVE HIS
TIME, BUT THEY WANT PEOPLE TO