| METRO | FALLING SHORT U lysses Cabrera was in the midst of diagnosing his eye condition when he was sent to Miami’s Federal Detention Center (FDC Miami) in October 2020 to await trial for allegedly leading a drug-traf- ficking gang based in Little Havana. Doctors at the University of Miami’s Bas- com Palmer Eye Institute believed Cabrera had a condition called myasthenia gravis, a rare autoimmune disease marked by muscu- lar weakness and rapid fatigue. But additional tests were needed to confirm the diagnosis and come up with a treatment plan Then he wound up in pretrial detention. More than 18 months later, Cabrera’s pleas to prison officials to see a neurologist for his worsening condition have been ignored, ac- cording to his attorney, Paul Petruzzi. The once-brawny 32-year-old is declining quickly, Petruzzi says, and is now in a wheelchair, ex- periencing facial paralysis, and going blind in both eyes. “At this point, he has deteriorated so fast,” Cabrera’s girlfriend says in a teary phone call. She requested that New Times withhold her name for fear of retaliation. “We’re scared of two things: It can be the end of his life, or it could leave permanent damage to all his nerves.” Staff at FDC Miami contend that inmates at the facility lack basic medical treatment owing to a severe staffing shortage: Some staff members estimate that 30 to 50 percent of FDC Miami’s medical positions are cur- rently vacant. Mary Melek, the chief shop steward for the local union that covers em- ployees at FDC Miami, says the prison is short on manpower in almost every depart- ment, especially among case managers, cor- rection officers, and medical professionals. “From what I’ve observed, our medical teams are so short-staffed that these inmates are getting overlooked. Medical has to priori- tize who they see because they’re short on doctors,” Melek tells New Times, adding that she has reported several instances where an inmate’s medical needs have been ignored. Multiple factors led to the staffing short- age, Melek says — from the pandemic to a Trump-era federal hiring freeze to the rising cost of living in Miami. She says these factors have created a dangerous and untenable situ- ation for inmates and personnel alike. “An officer had it so bad she was telling our administration to ask the National Guard for help,” Melek says. “Corrections officers are getting so burned out that they don’t care about overtime pay because the work is wear- ing them down.” In an email response to New Times, U.S. Bureau of Prisons (BOP) spokesperson Ben- jamin O’Cone says the BOP is looking to rem- edy its staffing problems. “Despite challenges posed by the pan- 44 demic, we have managed our staffing levels to Photo by Florida Department of Corrections maintain the safety and security of our staff and inmates, while providing appropriate op- portunities for inmates to enhance their suc- cessful reentry into the community upon release,” O’Cone writes. “We are actively seeking to fill vacant positions.” According to Melek, inmates who are re- “AN OFFICER HAD IT SO BAD SHE WAS TELLING OUR ADMINISTRATION TO ASK THE NATIONAL GUARD FOR HELP.” questing medical care sometimes go days and weeks without getting treatment because there isn’t enough medical staff to see them, nor case manag- ers to perform check-ins. Case manag- ers are tasked with assessing and handling in- mates from the time they arrive at the prison to the day of their transfer or release. They make sure an in- mate’s needs are being met, and enroll in- mates in programs, such as job training and education, to help them re-enter civilian life when they’re released. But case managers, who once oversaw roughly 150 inmates be- fore the pandemic, now must keep track of 200 to 350 inmates. Because it can take days or weeks for an inmate to meet with a case manager, inmates find themselves missing crucial enrollment deadlines through no fault of their own. “In corrections, we’re supposed to ‘cor- rect’ people by helping them and giving them programs,” Melek argues. “But if we can’t get inmates enrolled quick enough, it increases recidivism and harms their chances of suc- ceeding on release.” In some cases, she explains, inmates are left in solitary confinement for longer than they should be, or they miss transfer dates out of the prison because their case managers are so overwhelmed. Last month, a staff member at FDC Miami filed a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG), alleging se- vere civil rights violations as inmates are de- prived of even their basic needs, owing to the staffing crisis. “Inmates who are diabetics, hypertensives, cardiomyopathy and HIV are not being provided their medication. It was reported over 750 prescriptions remain unfilled,” reads the complaint, which was obtained by New Times. “In addition, toilets, several showers are inoperable, hot water is not working in some areas of the prison, no toilet paper or bar soap, bedding, towels, shower slides, masks to protect COVID exposures, etc.” The OIG responded to the complaint, stat- ing it could not open an investigation and rec- ommending that the employee refile the complaint with the Bureau of Prisons’ De- partment of Internal Affairs. O’Cone disputes Melek’s claims of a staff- ing crisis and inadequate medical care. “Inmates in the BOP, including FDC Mi- ami, have daily and regular access to medical care. The BOP provides essential medical, dental, and mental health services in a man- ner consistent with accepted community standards for a correctional environment,” the BOP spokesperson writes. “Each inmate is independently treated on a case-by-case basis, and treatment is provided as clinically indicated, including referrals to specialists in the local community. Appointments with specialists in the community are subject to the same scheduling availability afforded to Some staff members estimate that 30 to 50 percent of medical positions are vacant. members of the public.” Emery Nelson, another BOP spokesper- son, declined to comment on Cabrera’s case to New Times, citing “privacy, safety, and se- curity reasons.” “The BOP does not discuss information on any individual inmate’s conditions of confinement including medical care or medical condition,” Nelson writes in an emailed statement. But according to medical records attached to an emergency motion for Cabrera to receive outside medical treatment, he has requested medical treatment at least five times since Oc- tober 2021 for his worsening eye condition. On October 26, 2021, Cabrera wrote to medical staff that he’d been suffering from a droopy eye since being incarcerated in 2020, and that his vision was deteriorating. “I have already written to you awhile [sic] back to see a doctor and I have yet to be seen,” Cabrera wrote. “Please have a Doctor see me ASAP and Thank you.” In a brief message on November 1, 2021, he wrote: “my eyes hurt.” Another request, sent on November 9, 2021, reads: “I have been requesting to be seen and still have yet to be seen. Please and thank you.” On November 23, he wrote that he felt he had “exhausted reaching out to almost every department.... I really would like to be seen by someone as I am very worried about my health and life.... Please & Thank you.” In Petruzzi’s January 24 emergency motion for outside medical attention, the attorney stated that Cabrera’s condition had deterio- rated to the point where it was interfering Employees at understaffed Miami prison say inmates, guards, and public are at risk. BY JOSHUA CEBALLOS AND ALEX DELUCA MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2008 JUNE 2-8, 2022 NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS |
