Inside the Forsyth County Detention Center, Javarius Ford, Sr. is awaiting his next court hearing. Due to the pandemic, court is currently canceled. His wife said she’s unsure when he’ll be in front of a judge at this point. “He’s not doing good at all,” said his wife, Shaketa Ford, by Zoom call Friday afternoon.Ford said she last spoke to her husband on Tuesday. She said that conversation led her to become concerned about how the COVID-19 precautions and protocols in place at the Forsyth County Detention Center, according to her husband, are impacting his physical and mental health. She said she is worried not only for her husband, but others incarcerated there as well. “Is my husband a perfect man? No. He is not or he was he wouldn’t be where he is. I’m not excusing the behavior that got him there, but he is still a human being.” she said. “I just want something to be done not just for my husband, but all those men.”Ford said she felt like her husband’s spirit breaking.“My husband called me Tuesday. They had them locked up all day long. He said, ‘Baby, I stink. I feel less than a person.’ It’s not right. It’s not and it hurts my heart,” she said. “My husband is very mentally strong and when I talked to him, this is breaking his spirit. This is breaking him down. This could change him forever. It’s just not right.”According to a spokesperson for the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, which operates the jail, the facility was put on lockdown on Wednesday following mass COVID-19 testing. As of Friday, LaShanda Millner-Murphy, Public Relations Manager with the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, said the office was still awaiting results of some of those tests. Millner-Murphy said until all the results were received the office had instituted a new rule that meant residents would be released from their cells once every 72 hours. She said this was the first time this policy had been used and was put in place to isolate residents while they awaited COVID-19 test results. “No one is deprived of medical assistance,” she said by email. “All residents are able to still do normal hygiene and provided all the soap and water they need.”The sheriff’s office said that the state health department made the recommendation that residents should not co-mingle and that they should utilize soap and water in their cell for hygiene purposes. Millner-Murphy said only emergencies and medical appointments would take place during the lockdown period.Millner-Murphy took questions by email Thursday and Friday and provided a written statement from the Detention Service Bureau Commander.“We are working diligently with our onsite Medical Contractor with assistance from Forsyth County Public Health to mitigate the effects of this virus. “ said Major Richard Carleton in the statement.Milner-Murphy also said a variety of measures had been put in place to help curb the potential spread of the virus including designating a housing unit for any residents who may receive a positive result. She said that individual would need to be isolated for 10 days or until symptom-free. Milner-Murphy also said staff is required to wear proper personal protective equipment at all times and that screenings were taking place for staff and residents before entering the facility.Still, Ford said she is concerned the policies will have lasting impacts on her husband.“People need to know about this,” she said. “At what point do you say enough is enough?”Ford said she is praying for county leaders who have to make these decisions, but that she wants the Forsyth County Sherriff’s office to “soften their hearts” and make changes to their handling of the pandemic.Ford said the couple’s 8-year-old son worries about his father, too.
Inside the Forsyth County Detention Center, Javarius Ford, Sr. is awaiting his next court hearing. Due to the pandemic, court is currently canceled. His wife said she’s unsure when he’ll be in front of a judge at this point.
“He’s not doing good at all,” said his wife, Shaketa Ford, by Zoom call Friday afternoon.
Ford said she last spoke to her husband on Tuesday. She said that conversation led her to become concerned about how the COVID-19 precautions and protocols in place at the Forsyth County Detention Center, according to her husband, are impacting his physical and mental health. She said she is worried not only for her husband, but others incarcerated there as well.
“Is my husband a perfect man? No. He is not or he was he wouldn’t be where he is. I’m not excusing the behavior that got him there, but he is still a human being.” she said. “I just want something to be done not just for my husband, but all those men.”
Ford said she felt like her husband’s spirit breaking.
“My husband called me Tuesday. They had them locked up all day long. He said, ‘Baby, I stink. I feel less than a person.’ It’s not right. It’s not and it hurts my heart,” she said. “My husband is very mentally strong and when I talked to him, this is breaking his spirit. This is breaking him down. This could change him forever. It’s just not right.”
According to a spokesperson for the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, which operates the jail, the facility was put on lockdown on Wednesday following mass COVID-19 testing. As of Friday, LaShanda Millner-Murphy, Public Relations Manager with the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, said the office was still awaiting results of some of those tests.
Millner-Murphy said until all the results were received the office had instituted a new rule that meant residents would be released from their cells once every 72 hours. She said this was the first time this policy had been used and was put in place to isolate residents while they awaited COVID-19 test results.
“No one is deprived of medical assistance,” she said by email. “All residents are able to still do normal hygiene and provided all the soap and water they need.”
The sheriff’s office said that the state health department made the recommendation that residents should not co-mingle and that they should utilize soap and water in their cell for hygiene purposes.
Millner-Murphy said only emergencies and medical appointments would take place during the lockdown period.
Millner-Murphy took questions by email Thursday and Friday and provided a written statement from the Detention Service Bureau Commander.
“We are working diligently with our onsite Medical Contractor with assistance from Forsyth County Public Health to mitigate the effects of this virus. “ said Major Richard Carleton in the statement.
Milner-Murphy also said a variety of measures had been put in place to help curb the potential spread of the virus including designating a housing unit for any residents who may receive a positive result. She said that individual would need to be isolated for 10 days or until symptom-free.
Milner-Murphy also said staff is required to wear proper personal protective equipment at all times and that screenings were taking place for staff and residents before entering the facility.
Still, Ford said she is concerned the policies will have lasting impacts on her husband.
“People need to know about this,” she said. “At what point do you say enough is enough?”
Ford said she is praying for county leaders who have to make these decisions, but that she wants the Forsyth County Sherriff’s office to “soften their hearts” and make changes to their handling of the pandemic.
Ford said the couple’s 8-year-old son worries about his father, too.
-225x125.jpg)
.jpg){kind=link}
