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Mold grows all inside the restrictive housing unit of an Arkansas prison.
Illustration by Lamar Moore

This picture is from inside restrictive housing at Randall L. Williams Correctional Facility in Arkansas.

There are 14 cells in restrictive housing, all of which are clean except cells 11, 12, 13 and 14. I was placed in cell 12, and it looks much worse in person. These cells are not fit for anyone to live in.

It seems they just slap paint over rust and mold, hoping it will go away. All of the small dots in this drawing represent mold.

The view of the cell is from a concrete slab where our mattresses are supposed to be but, due to all the caked-up mold, are instead by the cell entrances. We have air ducts but the ducts don’t work in these specific cells, which in turn creates even more mold.

This is a clear health hazard and could cause breathing problems, but our grievances never seem to receive any attention.

I pray that people across the United States can see how we are treated in restrictive housing at the Randall L. Williams unit.

Disclaimer: The views in this article are those of the author. Prison Journalism Project has verified the writer’s identity and basic facts such as the names of institutions mentioned.

Lamar "Shone" Moore is an artist and writer, who believes in the need for criminal justice and prison reform. He is incarcerated in Arkansas.