A Mother’s Worry
By Maggie Bott and Asst. Public Defender Meigan Thompson
One morning, in March of 2018, Denise dropped off her son Anthony at high school as part of her morning routine. As she watched him enter the main building, she thought about the countless challenges they endured to get to this point. He only needed a half-credit to graduate and there was no indication that he wouldn’t be able to do so. What Denise did not know that morning, however, is that Anthony would not return home. Instead, he would be taken to the Shelby County Juvenile Detention Center on felony criminal charges.
In the weeks and months to come, Denise would learn things about Anthony that she never knew. She would learn that Anthony felt pressure to help Denise provide for their family. She would learn that Anthony carried a gun to protect himself from gang members. She would learn that Anthony missed not having his father around and yearned for a male role model. She would learn that Anthony didn’t know how to handle the intense pressure he felt from his friends to do certain things.
Denise could not afford to post Anthony’s bond. So, she had to wait. She waited while Anthony’s case was in juvenile court. She waited when Anthony’s case was transferred to adult court. She waited for it to be disposed while it was in adult court. After nearly one year of waiting, Anthony pled guilty to six years on a felony charge. At the age of eighteen, he was sentenced to the Shelby County Correctional Center.
Now, Denise has been separated from Anthony since 2018. Anthony’s physical absence from her family has been difficult. “His brothers miss having Anthony around to play basketball. He’s a good person, he’s a good child. He deserves a second chance.”
Denise makes sure that a small portion of her weekly earnings as a cook at a local Memphis eatery goes towards Anthony’s commissary books. They try to talk as often as possible. “He calls me to see if I’m doing okay and checks up on his younger siblings.” While they speak on the phone sometimes, they most often exchange letters.
In May of this year, Denise received a letter unlike any ones that she had previously received. In this letter, Anthony told Denise that he had the Coronavirus.
Dear Mom,
They said I got the Coronavirus. I know you gonna feel some type of way but they got us in the cell together … I’m strong. I promise I’ma make it through this … They said we can’t get on the phone … Mom, please help me. My head been hurting bad. It feels like it’s gonna explode. They can’t give me sh*t for it. I can’t smell nothing. When I eat food, I can’t taste it. Mom, please call up here and tell them if I’m sick I don’t need to be in the cell with nobody that got it. Mom, I love you. I got the Coronavirus. Tell them I need a cell by myself. I am scared as hell. I love yall.
Anthony also asked Denise to call the mother of his friend whose family did not have enough money on their account to accept a phone call. Anthony’s friend wanted his mother to know that he had tested positive for the Coronavirus.
Denise broke down and cried. She was in disbelief and needed confirmation. No one from the correctional center had called her to let her know that Anthony had tested positive for the Coronavirus. She spoke with someone who identified himself as a captain and he confirmed that Anthony had tested positive. She felt like she had been deceived. When she asked why no one had called her, the captain replied that he didn’t have an answer to that question. Denise began to think: What if Anthony had died in prison? Would the prison have even bothered to call me then?
Despite the fear that Denise felt, she began to advocate for her son. She called the correctional center to demand that Anthony receive medication for his explosive headache. She did everything that she could do to make sure her son was safe. In the end, however, the system was deaf to Denise’s pleas. Anthony never received any medication for his Coronavirus symptoms.
After being in quarantine for two weeks, Anthony was released back to the general population without having been tested again. Because the correctional center has stopped all coursework, Anthony has not been able to resume his GED coursework or take any classes that could make him an attractive candidate for parole at his first parole board hearing.
Denise is hopeful that Anthony will be released on parole at some point. However, her optimism is weighed down by the worry that he will get sick again and have to suffer without his mother by his side.
It’s a kind of worry that no mother should have to bear.
*Editor’s Note: Our office now represents Anthony in a pending petition for probation.
*In order to protect our client’s identity, the client’s name has been changed.
Contributing Writer
Maggie Bott 2L
Indiana University Maurer School of Law
I hope that every person incarcerated in Shelby County and across the United States knows that there are so many people on the outside that have not forgotten them through this pandemic. So many of us care deeply about their stories and mental and physical health, and we believe they deserve safety, compassion, and freedom.