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Mississippi doesn't have to provide protective gear to working inmates. New legislation aims to change that.
(mississippitoday.org)
Susan Balfour, 63, was incarcerated for 33 years at Central Mississippi Correctional Facility until her release in December 2021. Balfour said she was among a group of prisoners asked to clean the facility without protective equipment.
She was later diagnosed with terminal breast cancer, a condition that prison health care providers failed to identify years ago because they could save money by not performing necessary medical screenings and treatment, according to the lawsuit Balfour filed in the U.S. Southern District of Mississippi.
Balfour’s attorneys and Gibbs say over 10 other Mississippi inmates have come down with cancer or become seriously ill after they were exposed to chemicals while on work assignments.
Cleaning supplies are often caustic, this just seems like incredibly unnecessary cruelty. They also waited till the very end of the article to mention the prison doctors did think she needed a test for cancer years prior and the medical groups just refused to send her to get the test.
Balfour sued three companies contracted to provide health care to prisoners at the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility. The companies delayed or failed to schedule follow-up cancer screenings for Balfour even though they had been recommended by prison physicians, the lawsuit says.