How a Mother Deals With Her Son’s Imprisonment During a Pandemic
By: Mia Berlanga
Tags: Prison, Prison System, Covid 19

“It’s been so difficult to accept that this is my life now,” Escobedo said. “But, it’s even more difficult knowing that Malik is going to be in prison for years and years. No parent would ever want that kind of life for their child.”

For over 2 years, Escobedo’s son was held in the Houston facility, where he waited for his sentence. Malik’s final court date was last February. Escobedo plans to appeal against his conviction.

“Of course, as his mother, I don’t want him spending that much of his life in a cell, so I want to appeal,” Escobedo said. “There are other people who did a similar crime, if not worse, and they received lesser sentences. I thoroughly researched before his court date, so that I could have an estimate, and my son’s sentence was way worse than anyone expected.”

Sometimes, a person may receive a longer sentence than someone else because of their demographics. According to the United States Sentencing Commission, race and sex may be correlated with the length of a person’s sentence. Being a Hispanic male, Malik could have been affected by such sentencing disparity.

A federal judge decided the length of Malik’s sentence. According to the Offices of the United States Attorneys, a judge may examine whether the person has shown remorse as well as other characteristics of the case.

“It’s a lot less of the judge’s opinion than you’d think,” former jailer and current cadet for Friendswood Police Department Matheau Kulhanek said. “Cases are never completely identical. There’s the criminal history and the facts of the crime that need to be considered. The end result is what the judge thinks must be done, with all of the factors kept in mind. As a loved one, the sentence can seem unfair, and it may as well could be, but there really is more to every inmate’s case.”

Escobedo recalled that, after his court date, Malik was held in a padded cell. According to her, the reasoning behind this is that, after such a lengthy sentencing, the prisoners must be kept on suicide watch. Malik’s lawyer told Escobedo of this, which caused her to worry about her son.

“I was honestly only worried about my mom,” Malik said on a call from prison. “She always tries to hold a brave face in front of me, but I know that she’s constantly thinking about my wellbeing. I know that she hurts inside.”

In May, Escobedo received the news of where her son would be permanently held. Malik started his moving process in October, when he was transferred from Houston to Oklahoma. In November, he arrived at his final destination, a federal prison in Louisiana.

Due to COVID-19, his trip was prolonged by quarantines and other safety measures. This put further stress on his mother, who had to deal with so many uncertainties amid a pandemic.

“I was extremely anxious during this time because he couldn’t call while in quarantine,” Escobedo said. “He had 3 quarantines total, so that was about 6 weeks of not being able to talk to my son. The final quarantine in Louisiana was the hardest, though, because he couldn’t even send letters, whereas in the past, he could. He was also in quarantine for a couple more days than usual, so not getting an expected call was incredibly troubling.”

Malik is now able to call his mother once every 2 weeks. Escobedo is unsure of when she will be able to see her son in person, as COVID-19 restrictions are still in place for many facilities. According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, more than 6 thousand inmates have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began. However, only 6 inmates have tested positive in Pollock FCI, a prison located in Grant Parish, Louisiana, where Malik is being held for the rest of his sentence.

“I just want to see him again,” Escobedo said. “I have pictures of him all over my house, I read his letters, and I can talk to him on the phone, but it isn’t the same thing. I pray that I get to see my son soon.”

Currently, Escobedo is researching the best way to file an appeal for her son. However, as for now, Malik will continue to serve his sentence for more than 30 years.