I was recently in touch with A., a gentleman at Sing Sing who worked at the infirmary there. A friend of A's put us in touch because a pt in the infirmary died of respiratory failure in late March, and A. had been responsible for feeding him with no mask or other protective gear.

I reached out to him, hopeful I could share his story.

Shortly after that, I heard again from A.'s friend. A had been fired from his job for communicating with me. "I was told by my boss that someone higher up the food chain said to remove me because I was relaying unfavorable information to an outside source," A wrote his friend.

"After which..my boss informed me that ALL e-mail from any news agency, public official, or organizations, are monitored for content. Ergo they felt that I needed to take a break from my duties."

A. was doing a job that felt meaningful to him, caring for sick and dying men. He wasn't even complaining that the work put him at risk, just noting his anxiety. We was doing exactly what we ask prisoners to do: penance for their wrongs, show that they have grown and changed.

And for *answering a reporter's email* (remember, it was his friend, not he, that reached out to me) the prison seems to have taken that away from him. Why?

I should note I haven't confirmed this with NYDOCCS. I fear after what happened it would make things worse for A. if I started to call and ask questions.

But last A.'s friend heard, A. had a sore throat and cough, so I'm keeping him in my thoughts and I hope you will to.