End PA State Prison Lockdown

Over 45,000 incarcerated men and women, most of color, have been locked in their cells for the better part of 24 hours a day since August 26th for alleged incidents of "unknown substance" contamination causing correctional officers to become ill. Incidents occurred in specific prisons in western part of the state; these episodes have not been confirmed to be due to any substance. The DOC and the Governor have instituted a knee-jerk reaction without thoroughly doing their due diligence to confirm IF there is a problem. Instead they have locked down the entire state prison system and plan to spend thousands of tax payer dollars to purchase full body scanner machines and implement a mail scanning system. The DOC has not followed federally recommended guidelines for use of personal protective gear to minimize the risk of any substance contamination from handling incoming mail. Use of this gear is effective, provides safety and is cost effective. Locking down the entire prison system because the DOC has not done their job in keeping their staff safe is punishing the wrong people.
END THE LOCKDOWN NOW!