Compassionate Release for Myesha
Governor Ralph Northam
Myesha Isaac is a young transgender woman who was eligible for release from the Fairfax Adult Detention Center (ADC) a year ago. In spite of having experienced severe violence, being forceably assigned into the men's facility when it does not align with her gender identity, and being targeted by prison guards as retaliation for reporting the abuses she has suffered, prisoncrats have responded to Myesha with the maximum sentencing options and have largely ignored her cries for help. Now, during the pandemic, Myesha — like other incarcerated individuals — is incredibly vulnerable to contracting COVID-19 due to pre-existing health conditions. The Fairfax County ADC has already had 17 documented cases of Coronavirus, and none of the eight incarcerated individuals who tested positive received hospital treatment. Myesha herself has been quarantined twice in a facility that shut off water in the entire ADC for over 24 hours and has not provided the people housed there with adequate cleaning supplies or personal protective equipment. Social distancing is impossible behind bars; the only way to prevent illness and death in prisons, jails, and detention centers under these conditions is to release people in large numbers. As we fight for all incarcerated people, please support Myesha's petition for compassionate release given her health vulnerabilities and the danger she has experienced behind bars due to systemic violence.
Sponsored by
To:
Governor Ralph Northam
From:
[Your Name]
I am formally signing this petition on behalf of Myesha Danielle Isaac, a currently incarcerated individual who was twice placed in the medical "quarantine" unit of the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center (ADC) per medical department because she was showing signs and symptoms of potentially being infected with COVID-19. Please allow the record to reflect that Myesha grew up living with an already weakened immune system (pre-existing conditions) and is among the highest risk individuals susceptible to being infected during this pandemic.
Having been incarcerated under the jurisdiction of the Virginia Dept. of Corrections (DOC), Myesha is detained at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center. She was sentenced to serve twenty-four (24) months by the Honorable Judge Mr. Robert Smith for the Circuit Courts of Fairfax County, Virginia, on the charges of Forgery (non-violent). As it is calculated per DOC, she has approximately 3.5 months left to serve on her sentence in its "totality". During her entire incarceration, she has been exceedingly proactive in taking the responsibilities and all necessary steps to become a healthier and more productive member of our community. She has participated in various Fairfax County ADC programs to support her recovery.
Also as a Northern VA Fairfax County resident, Myesha has developed a tenacious "After-Care Treatment Plan," with the help and support of various behavioral health clinicians, Re-entry Transitional Specialists, community activists, advocates, case managers, District 29 Parole and Probation agents, herself, and her loving family. All of these supports collectively will provide assistance and structure that will heighten her chances of succeeding upon release from this period of incarceration, with all hopes and efforts to build resilience.
I support the early compassionate release of Myesha Danielle Isaac to avoid her likelihood of being infected while in custody, and to alleviate the burden of an already overwhelmed medical department. In this massive, populated environment, medical attention is limited. In combination with the density of the Fairfax ADC, ultimately it is impossible for individuals like Myesha to comply with the Center for Disease Control's global order regarding "social distancing".
Thank you for your time and consideration.