Some family members of inmates at the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center protested outside of the facility Saturday afternoon, expressing concerns that their relatives are being mistreated.
Connie Runyon was among those standing on the side of Paddock Road near the prison Saturday.
“We’re still mothers and we’re still wives and we’re out here,” Runyon said. And we’re not going nowhere, because this was a crisis -- unspeakable -- of not only Officer Floyd’s death, but what happened to our men.”
Runyon said two inmates called her on Friday to let her know her son would be calling her. And they told her that her son was one of a few who helped protect a counselor during the stand-off.
Runyon said when her son, Michael, called her later that evening, it was the first time she heard from him since the stand-off that happened two weeks ago that left one correctional officer dead. She proudly held up a sign ‘my inmate son is a hero’.
“I am so proud of my son because this is the way he was raised,” Runyon said.
Family members of Vaughn inmates want more details about the standoff and why authorities have said all the inmates in the C building are considered suspects. State police have not provided additional information about the incident.
Linda Butcher, another mother, said she received a letter from her son, Aaron, earlier this week, saying he was not allowed to receive the Valentine’s Day card she had sent to him. Butcher said upon speaking with staff at the mailroom, she feels she was treated rudely.
“We can’t get our phone calls, we can’t get our visits,” Butcher said. “We can’t get anything out of these people that’s a decent answer.”
TillieCarello said when she last heard from her son on Friday, he told her “things are very hard.” She said she was protesting to represent her son, Michael, who was named in the lawsuit of another inmate as someone who helped protect a counselor.
Carello said she was glad to hear about what her son did, but was saddened by accounts she said she has heard about the alleged mistreatment of inmates.
“My son is in prison because of his own wrongdoing,” Carello said. “My son will pay his dues. But my son, by the grace of God, had no part in killing Officer Floyd.”
Carello said over the last couple of weeks, concerns about her son left her worried and unable to sleep.
“I just want this nightmare to end,” Carello said.
Department of Corrections Spokeswoman Jayme Gravell said, in an email, that Vaughn and all other Delaware prisons remain on modified lockdowns. These lockdowns vary from facility to facility. But Gravell said visitation could resume soon.
“The DOC has been in communication with each facility to manage deactivation plans based on operational needs,” Gravell said. “Not all privileges have been returned to the inmates; however, all inmates have access to medical treatment, incoming and outgoing mail, showers and hygiene items, meals, and the grievance process.”