Reportedly, there is one, made-for-wheelchair/lift-type van in this whole place. Wheelchair-bound inmates say virtually nothing is handicapped accessible in Perryville.
We’ve written before on Medium custody buildings built (1970s) before disability laws were enforced, but Minimum custody units, Carlos, Rosa, and Piestwa, were all built around 2012, so why aren’t they in compliance? The inmates say those units don’t have wheelchair-accessible sinks, water jugs, cubes, shopping, property, and the uneven ground makes riding difficult.
The women complain transport guards are hostile to their needs. One 67-year-old, named CO Gonzales as an example. She says Gonzales is the main Complex transport guard, and he complains constantly about lifting the wheelchairs from his van. This inmate quotes Gonzalez, “Oh you can walk can’t you? Come on, your not going to make me lift this heavy chair and push you to x-ray are you?” Then there are off-site transport officers who badger, threaten, and bodily push the handicapped into the van without taking the wheelchair.
For people with disabilities, the hits just keep coming.