John A Stephens III
Family photograph of John and his wife Cheryl in 1986.
Memorial by Juan Moreno Haines
John’s friend
Since the novel coronavirus made its way into US prisons and jails, more than 2,600 incarcerated people have died from COVID-19 — incarcerated Californians made up almost 200 of the fatalities.
After an early June 2020 transfer brought the virus to San Quentin State Prison, about three-quarters of people serving time at the prison became infected — 28 have died as well as one well-liked correctional sergeant.
Courts, medical experts and the state’s inspector general examined prison operations and called prison officials’ actions and inactions incompetent, reckless and morally indefensible. The failures have resulted in ongoing medical isolations and quarantines — where two people continue to be locked inside 4-foot by 10-foot windowless cells (the size of a parking space) for more than 23 hours a day. The housing units are enclosed buildings that are unventilated.
At the height of the outbreak, sometime in July, John A Stephens III, 72, became infected and died.
Alan Mabrey, 57, shared a cell with Stephens.
“John was an honest man,” Mabrey said. “He went to work every day and he had a good exercise program. He pretty much stayed busy.”
Glen Harder, 59, incarcerated almost 24 years, said he knew Stephens from 2000-2005 and met up with him again in 2019.
“The guy was always kind — never talked about others (rare these days) — only complaining he did was his pain and some medical issues he was having,” Harder said. He added, “He was a hard worker and a good repairman.”
Mark Stanley-Bey, 66, incarcerated 37 years, said he’s known Stephens for two years.
Stanley-Bey met John through his job in prison as a worker in San Quentin’s program offering assistance to incarcerated men with disabilities. “John had some medical issues that required someone to assist him from time-to-time. I would also check on John periodically to see how he was feeling or if he needed anything,” he said.
Stanley-Bey added, “I am sad he died of COVID-19. This is a serious disease; and, those over 60 are truly at risk of death inside prison.”
Mabrey said that Stephens did his best to stay safe during the San Quentin COVID-19 lockdown. Mabrey attributes Stephens contracting the virus to the inability to social distance when having to line up and walk down the crowded tiers in the enclosed unventilated housing units to pick up food trays.
“They would herd us down for chow, make us stand in the pill line and pick up our trays, knowing we were in the midst of a dangerous outbreak of the virus,” Mabrey said. “It was a nightmare to watch him deteriorate. When John came down with the virus, he really lost his energy.
“I tried to encourage John. I checked on him constantly. [...] We both took all the precautions to protect ourselves, but because of the overpopulation and poor ventilation, John lost his life. John was just a couple of months from going to the board. He was in the process of reconnecting with his ex-wife. They had been communicating with one another. This man was financially stable to reenter society. CDCR robbed John from having a chance at life after he served his time — paying for his crime. He had been incarcerated for 52 years on a 7-to-life sentence. The court sentenced John 7-to-life. CDCR sentenced him illegally to a death sentence.”
In Mabrey’s 12 years of incarceration, he’s shared a cell with four different people.
“Two transferred to other prisons. One went home and John died,” he said.
Harder said Stephen’s life experience taught him about indifference.
“A real punch in the gut, but his case was a case of real deliberate indifference in your face,” Harder said.
Stanley-Bey added, “What I’ve learned from John’s experience is we as humans need to rethink or reimagine how we incarcerated our fellow humans. So many are talking about social justice, but talk and actions are not the same. In John’s wisdom, he mentioned that we as rehabilitated people have a responsibility to give back to society.
“Before he died, he asked me, ‘Do you think or feel it’s right for us to suffer like this when we’ve made so many changes in our lives to do better in society?’”
As John’s friends and loved ones prepare to collectively remember him upon the upcoming one-year anniversary of his July 14, 2020 passing, John’s former spouse, Cheryl, submits this Addendum, July 6, 2021…
It was outright unconscionable what the California Dept. of Corrections & Rehabilitation (CDCR) did following John’s passing. The California Health and Safety Code clearly indicates that the mortuary funeral director has the authority to release the remains to any member of the public or family who seeks to claim them. Yet, upon my request to receive John’s remains, the attorney in Sacramento representing the CDCR refused to permit this. I had to engage a local attorney, at a cost of nearly $5K, to basically read the law to the state’s attorney who, only thereafter, admitted her error, by stating that the CDCR has no jurisdiction over the remains, and then approved the release. Moreover, the lieutenant who called to inform me of John’s passing promised me that John’s personal property in his cell would be gathered and held pending approval of release to me. Yet, that did not happen. John’s former cellmate wrote me that no one came to the cell to collect John’s property until five weeks later. Upon follow up with the lieutenant, I was told that John’s property was “missing.” As if all that was not already unbearably dreadful, I had to pay the mortuary the $1,800 cost of cremation to claim John’s remains and incur additional expense of cross-country travel to California. The emotional and financial burden I bore was crushing. This anguish was foisted upon me and so many others similarly situated by the preventable disastrous result of the CDCR’s negligence, seeding COVID-19 infection by transferring infected people in custody during late May 2020 to other prisons. I call upon all who are outraged by the CDCR’s negligence resulting in the loss of their COVID-infected loved one to rally together to pursue legal action. The blatant disregard and callous indifference of the CDCR toward health care of the people for whom they are responsible should be brought to the forefront of public awareness to ensure that this situation does not ever again recur. May you rest in peace, my beloved John – all those who knew and loved you miss you so.
