Man at Lansing hopes to be one of the inmates Kansas governor considers for release
A Kansas woman has asked the governor to release a man early from Lansing prison, the site of a coronavirus outbreak where more than 100 people have been infected.
Rachad Austin was scheduled to get out of prison July 2. The 28-year-old has been incarcerated since March 2018 on drug crimes.
Being behind bars as the virus has infected dozens of staff and inmates at Lansing Correctional Facility has been “just scary,” Austin said during a call from the prison.
Though Austin’s release is fewer than 10 weeks away, his girlfriend, Kayla Donley, said the issue has become urgent because of the COVID-19 situation.
“I understand that they’re inmates, but at the end of the day, they’re all human beings and they all deserve to be treated like human beings,” Donley said. “That’s a father, a grandfather, a brother, a dad, a son, a husband.”
On March 31, advocates sent a letter to Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, urging her to release those with less than six months of a sentence to serve and to take other steps to reduce the risk of the virus’s spread in often overcrowded facilities with “limited” health care, the letter said.
At the time, the department had confirmed that three staff members at Lansing had the coronavirus.
Earlier this month, the department voiced concerns about the response to COVID-19 by Corizon Health, the company contracted to provide care for inmates. The department said it’s severing ties with Corizon on July 1 and will replace it with Centurion of Kansas.
On Thursday, 62 staff and 50 residents at Lansing had tested positive. Of those, 24 have recovered.
“I feel like they’re trying to do something now, but it’s too late, everybody’s sick already,” Austin said.
Austin’s case
Donley said she has been frustrated with the Kansas Department of Corrections for the past few weeks as she has sought answers about how the coronavirus was being handled behind walls she was no longer allowed through. Visitation was halted March 13 in response to the growing pandemic.
Through her lawyer, Donley sent a letter to Kelly asking her to consider releasing Austin. He has a previous lung injury making him vulnerable to the virus and they have a parole plan, points Donley believes further his case for early release.
She said he has taken the time in prison to reflect on his choices and to better himself through programs.
“He knows that he has done wrong and he never wants to go back there,” she said.
Kelly said Wednesday that they are nearing an announcement on who will be released.
“I don’t want anyone to think it’s going to be a whole huge number, but we have gone through the list of people who might be eligible for that and made sure that they’ve got the viable release plans in place and that they sort of fall on the risk scale in a way that we’re comfortable and we’re not putting a burden on our counties or our communities,” she said.
Ed Klumpp represents several law enforcement groups, including the Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police.
“Decisions of releasing prisoners due to COVID should not be taken lightly and only should occur if no other reasonable alternative exists,” he said in a statement. “It should not be cost based, and should not be done in broad stroke classifications.
“We are aware of bad results being reported in some states as a result of COVID related no bond and prison releases and we would hope Kansas would not become the next negative headline.”
On lockdown
Lansing remains locked down after an April 9 disturbance, which remains under investigation.
“Under normal conditions, the lockdown would have been lifted by now and we would have resumed normal operations,” Kansas Department of Corrections spokeswoman Rebecca Witte said. “With the growing number of positive COVID-19 cases at the facility, and the growing number of staff testing positive, we have made the decision to keep the lockdown in place for the safety of all.”
A video posted on YouTube claims to be footage from inside the “riot.”
“They aren’t giving us no healthcare for this coronavirus,” one man said, panning the video past broken windows.
Austin said going from a medium security setting to lockdown has been “very stressful.”
For 23 hours a day, it is “like being in a box,” he said.
With dozens of staff out sick, the department has brought staff from Wichita and Lansing as well as administrative employees from Topeka. The Kansas National Guard is also supporting Lansing’s medical team.
In addition to Lansing, COVID-19 cases have also been reported at the Wichita Work Release Facility and Topeka Correctional Facility.
This story was originally published April 24, 2020 at 9:58 AM.
