with his ability to communicate with his coun- sel — a violation of the Sixth Amendment — and had created a “grave personal health risk.” “Mr. Cabrera’s speech is slurred, his left eyelid and face are drooping, and he has weakness in his arms and legs,” the motion reads. “The Bureau of Prisons has yet to pro- vide medical treatment for Mr. Cabrera ei- ther because it cannot, or it will not.” Mary Melek, the local union steward, says tensions at FDC Miami are on the rise as the lack of basic care leads some inmates to turn to illicit drugs to self-medicate. “If you’re not getting treatment, you’re gonna become violent against staff,” Melek explains. And it’s not only the medical staff that’s overwhelmed, says Eric Speirs, president of the prison workers union at FDC Miami. Speirs tells New Times the staffing shortage extends to corrections officers and transport personnel. It has become so dire, he says, that corrections officers who do not have Basic Prison Transport Certification (BPT) have been ordered to escort inmates on hospital trips — a violation of prison policy. This can be dangerous for staff and the general public in some instances, Speirs explains, as uncertified officers don’t have the training to deal with high-security inmates in a hospital setting. “I’m concerned and afraid for my bargain- ing-unit members being placed in a situation where they are going out there without proper training,” Speirs adds. “If something happens, the agency will let them out to dry. It’s beyond egregious to do that, for the safety of Miami-Dade County.” The FDC Miami workers union filed a grievance about the uncertified hospital transports. In a letter responding to the grievance that was obtained by New Times, FDC Miami Warden E.K. Carlton admitted that the BPT staff list was exhausted and the administra- tion needed to move staff around to cover the staffing emergency. “Research into this matter determined due to a shortage of qualified BPT staff, nu- merous staff on annual leave and the amount Photo courtesy of Ulysses Cabrera’s girlfriend Ulysses Cabrera. of inmates at the outside hospital during the holiday season created a difficult task to pro- vide adequate coverage,” Carlton wrote. O’Cone tells New Times that all staff is trained equally in law-enforcement duties. In late April, Cabrera and two other pur- ported leaders of a Little Havana drug-traf- ficking gang were found guilty on federal gun, drug, and money-laundering charges. As Cabrera awaits his sentencing, sched- uled for August, his girlfriend worries about what condition he’ll be in by then. If you ask her, there’s more to the negligence than un- derstaffing. “I do not believe short staff is the reason behind this medical neglect,” Cabrera’s girl- friend says. “I just simply believe the jails do not care for the human rights of an inmate.” [email protected] 5 5 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com | CONTENTS | LETTERS | NEWS | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | CAFE | MUSIC | miaminewtimes.com | CONTENTS | LETTERS | RIPTIDE | METRO | NIGHT+DAY | STAGE | ART | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | NEW TIMES MIAMI NEW TIMES JUNE 2-8, 2022 MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2008 Photo courtesy of Ulysses Cabrera’s girlfriend
