This story was told by a person incarcerated at Todd Road Jail.
UCI: and I know you asked like if you could start — if you were to start like from your early life. We kind of want to stay focused on like what life is like right now during COVID, but if you ever feel like you want to go back to that like as reference, that’s like that’s okay too. Okay, so the first question I have for you is what has the COVID situation been like at your facility?
Caller: I do know that right here, they hardly don’t do like the testing for COVID, due to the fact that all they did was one test on me. And that’s it, and not to the other inmates, and before they even bring them to the population. And when people are – test positive for COVID, I mean, they just remove them.
But yet they put them with other cellmates that could contact that – that virus. I mean, there is really no – no quarantine for – for like the rest of the inmates. There’s no way of knowing – there’s no way of knowing who has it or who doesn’t, and they keep us in the dark.
UCI: You mentioned that they – whenever somebody contacts it, they just get moved with other inmates. So you guys don’t have any kind of, like, quarantine section or anything like that?
Caller: No, like when you first get processed at the main jail in Ventura, they do a little screening, they do just like – they get just a like q-tip, you know what I mean? They rub it on their nose, and then that’s it. They put you in – in a holding tank like for suicide watch. You know what I mean? You just stay there three days, but normally you’re supposed to be there for quarantine.
Well, you’re – they move you, and they bring to Todd Road within the three days, and they segregate you, everybody that comes with you, and plus the people that are already there, and we’re supposed to be in quarantine for two weeks there, until pending our second test. Well, they only did one test on me, and I was only there like three, four days, and they brought me back with the rest of the population, so how – what’s to say that I don’t have it, and they don’t even know because they didn’t do the – the test.
Everybody else that still stays there, you know what I mean, they’re all just being contaminated with – with the virus if they have it.
UCI: Yeah, definitely. What about the vaccination situation? How has that been like at your facility?
Caller: In our facility, they’re not – they’re not doing that unless if you submit a kite. Like I think it’ll be better like, when they first get arrested and they’re – when you’re out of the cop car, they screen you before you’re inside the facility. I – I think that it’s better if they try to offer for – offer us the vaccine right then and there before entering the facility.
That way, we’re at least have one shot ready, you know what I mean, but they’re not even doing that. They tell you if you guys want the vaccine, submit a kite. You know what I’m saying?
But since they’re backed up, since we’re – our population is high right here at the county jail, I mean, sometimes it takes a little over a week to even get it. By that – by that time, people already probably got it, you know what I mean, because they are not being properly screened at the – at the next facility where we’re supposed – we’re supposed to be quarantined.
UCI: I see. And then, for the people who do want to get vaccinated, are they giving you guys any kind of like resources or information on like what exactly vaccination means?
Caller: No, they’re – technically, they’re supposed to put a memo in our section allowing us to read regarding the vaccine. I just found out that I think there’s what – like three types of vaccine that we could get.
I’m not sure of the names of it, but we could get — there’s three types of vaccines that we could get for the COVID-19, and they said to talk to our doctor if we have one or to the medical staff right here to see which is appropriate for us to get, which they don’t even give us nothing to read.
They don’t put nothing in regards of COVID-19, how to like better prepare ourselves or – or nothing. They just said keep – keep six-feet, you know what I mean, stay a distance between six-feet so you won’t get it, but we all live together. It’s so packed that there is day rooms, and – and there is bunks in the dayroom.
So anybody could get in, and the symptoms are the same thing. Like if you get the flu, like if you’re sick, it’s the same symptoms, you know what I mean, that people get when they have COVID-19. And when people report that they are sick, they don’t do nothing.
You know, so as far as I’m concerned, a lot of us could be contaminated already with – with COVID-19. And we just don’t know, because there’s been a few people that – that have been like sick, had the flu, the cough. They – they don’t take precautions, you know what I mean?
To better to take care of themselves like the hygiene-wise or nothing. And that’s another thing. They don’t give us the proper solutions, you know what I mean, like to clean our surrounding areas.
UCI: I see. What kind of measures have they taken to – to help with the COVID situation?
Caller: What kind of measures have I taken?
UCI: You or the facility.
Caller: Well, I can’t speak on – on anybody else, but at least I know like on my behalf, I have a face mask, you know what I mean? I try to keep my common area clean as best as I can, even though like I live with other people around me that don’t – don’t – like they don’t clean themselves. You know what I mean?
I do it for them. I try to clean our common area. You know what I mean? The bathrooms that we use that we share with other like 30 people – try to keep it clean.
You know what I mean? The deputies right here at the jail, they only give us some cleaning supplies in the morning, which is Ajax, you know what I mean? Like – or disinfectant in the morning.
And at night time, they only give us the mop bucket, you know what I mean with cleaning supplies, but not disinfectant. I mean, I don’t think that’s enough to clean – clean a common area, you know what I mean, for bacteria to avoid getting COVID-19.
UCI: Yeah, definitely. How have you been coping with the crisis?
Caller: It’s been – it’s been rough. You know what I mean? And I think about my – my family because I have five sisters, and my mom — my mom just got – one of her breasts removed, and she’s getting the other one removed because of cancer, and she has a weak heart.
So I worry that she might get it, and then being incarcerated and not being able to be there for her, it’s a little stressful. I have another sister. She’s the youngest out of five. She has three tumors in her head.
One of them just got removed from her brain, and she had to learn how to walk, use the bathroom, how to eat, how to talk, everything like a – like a born baby again. You know her son, which is my nephew, has a tumor in his face. It’s like a little deformed.
My other sister has cancer. My brother, he’s 30 – 39, he fell off – he fell off the hotel a couple months ago, five stories, you know what I mean? He can barely walk.
You know what I like – I’ve been going through it, you know what I mean? But I still try to stay positive, you know and I worry for them because they – they’re – I know COVID-19 attacks the immune system. Like – like old – elderly people like my mom or – or even the – the young ones, you know?
So, I – I worry about them, you know? It’s – it’s just hard, you know what I mean, being in here and finding out something that’s — something might happen to them, you know?
UCI: Definitely. I’m so sorry to hear that your family is going through all of that.
Caller: It’s okay.
UCI: How has the situation — like how have – has their perspective on you being in prison while COVID is going on changed?
Caller: Can you repeat the question again?
UCI: Oh yeah. Like how has your perspective changed on you, or not necessarily on you, but like how do they feel about you being in prison while COVID is going on?
Caller: Well I know they worry about me, you know what I mean? Like I know they haven’t given up hope, you know what I mean? But at the same time, you know what I mean, they are used to it because I’ve been doing this too long.
I’ve been in and out of like jail, I guess, as an adult ever since I was 19, in and out of prison ever since I was 21, you know? And all the way until now, you know like it’s rough for them as well, you know like. They want the best for me, you know?
But this time around, you know what I mean, like I’ve gone — I’m trying to do things different for myself. Trying to get into a program and do positive things instead of like negative things. I’m trying like to get a job, you know what I mean, to do something positive and give back to the community instead of always taking like I always do. You know we just need like a second chance, you know, to at least prove to people that doubt us, that mean wrong, you know?
UCI: Yeah, definitely. What has it been like for you to have reduced visitation and programming?
Caller: Say that again.
UCI: What has it been like for you to have reduced visitation and programming?
Caller: I don’t understand. What do you mean?
UCI: Well has your facility reduced visitation at all? Like has there been less opportunities?
Caller: Oh. Yes, well I don’t get visits because it’s too far for my mom, especially her not having a vehicle, and she has to depend on my sisters, which they all work, you know? And I know we just got the visitations back because they had stopped them, you know what I mean? And when they do that, it creates a problem in here because they’re not allowing us to reach out to our loved ones or to even see them.
So it starts a conflict in here among us and also amongst the jail staff, but now that they gave us – now that they gave us back the visitation, you know what I mean, they just limited the amount of people that could come in at one time, but we also have access to – to like the video Zoom, you know what I mean, right here through the phone. If a family purchases, you know what I mean, like for a video Zoom visit, you know what I mean, I think it’s like six dollars for 30 minutes, they could see us through the screen. So I think that – that helps out as well too.
UCI: All right, that’s good. Did they introduce the video visits during COVID, or was that something that was already going on?
Caller: No, this was during COVID.
UCI: Yeah? Okay. What about programming? What has it been like to have reduced programming?
Caller: There is no programs right here whatsoever. They stopped all that. No – no movement. No nothing.
They have it for the other population but not for our population, and I don’t think that’s being fair for our population due to the fact that we are all supposed to be treated equal, just like any other human being. But they belittle us right here due to our classification.
When most of us are trying to do – do substance abuse programs, they don’t give it to us, but they give it to other people in other housing units. They don’t allow us to work.
But yet they let the females and the rest of the general population to work, you know what I mean, but just not our population, you know, and I don’t think that’s fair. We can’t even do GED. We can’t do nothing.
There’s no resources. They even took our law library away, our books, and I don’t think that’s right just due to the fact that they gave us some tablets, you know what I mean? And even then, the tablets, you know what I mean, it’s limited on what you can read and see on the tablet because they block everything else, and it’s only for English.
So for all of those Spanish speaking, they don’t even understand like what’s on the tablet because they don’t know how to use it, and there’s no instructions, or it doesn’t give you the option to – to change it from English to Spanish, you know what I mean? And then in order so you can get those options, you have to buy the tablet, which is five dollars, and most people are indigent.
They don’t have money in here, you know? And I don’t think that’s right for them to take away our little bit that we have, you know what I mean? Because that – that’s what creates problems. They don’t give us nothing to occupy our minds with, you know what I mean?
Most of us, you know what I mean, that comes from broken homes, all we know is one thing is violence, you know? And we’re trying to avoid that, but everything they – everything positive that we had before, they took away because of the COVID-19.
UCI: I see. Is there anything else you want people to know about your experience?
Caller: I know that – I know that they can make it better if they really wanted to and everything, but they don’t, you know what I mean. I know Inmate Services could give us like games in here, you know what I mean, which they do and everything, but when the games are incomplete, they don’t give us nothing.
They like – they do group punishments when they are not supposed to, you know what I mean. If they would give us back our resources, you know what I mean, like our books, our games, you know what I mean, our programs, like something to occupy ourselves, I know it could be better.
UCI: Definitely. Especially right now is an extra tough time and then to take away all those resources.
Caller: Yeah, and that is all we ask for, you know what I mean, just to give us what we have coming, like something to occupy ourselves because we even submit kites to the deputies, you know what I mean, or Inmate Services and they tell us if you guys have any requests on what you guys want to do to avoid conflict or anything to let them know, but it goes unanswered. So, why even give us the opportunity to submit them if they’re not gonna do nothing?
UCI: Yeah, definitely.
Caller: Yeah, I’m just grateful that I – I’m already getting out in three weeks.
UCI: That’s awesome. I’m so happy for you.
Caller: Thank you. So I’ll be home for Christmas, and-
UCI: You get Christmas at home.
Caller: Excuse me?
UCI: Oh, you get to spend Christmas at home.
Caller: This – this will be my second time spending Christmas with my family in over like 15 years. I’ve always been incarcerated, in prison, here in county, but mostly in prison. And then last year, when I spend it with my family, you know what I mean, my brother was in the hospital, my sister was in the hospital, my little nephew, he got sick because of the vaccine.
He got sick cause he was under medication. I – I don’t know what kind of medication, but the doctor said, “Oh, yeah, he won’t have a problem with the vaccine,” to go ahead and get it, that it won’t affect him with the medication.
Well, he was fighting for his life for over three months at the hospital for the – because of the vaccine. You know, and then I crashed my car, you know what I mean. I almost — I lost consciousness that night when I fell asleep behind the wheel, my car — during – throughout the whole time through COVID, you know, so I’m grateful for being alive too, you know?
So yeah, I’m a little happy, you know what I mean, spending time with my family for the second time, twice back-to-back, last year and this year for – for Christmas, you know? At least we’ll all be there, you know what I mean. My brother is out of the hospital, my sister, at least my mom will have all of us, all her kids there.
UCI: Definitely. I’m sure she’ll be so happy about that.
Caller: Yeah, she – she is.
UCI: Well that concludes the – all of my questions. I don’t know if you had anything else you wanted to share or if you had any questions about the program?
Caller: Yeah, can you let me know a little bit about the program, please, if we still have time.
UCI: Oh yeah. So, the program is called PrisonPandemic. And like the goal of it is just to try to like record and save all of the stories that prisoners might have about what life is like to be incarcerated during COVID. So, yeah, the purpose of our program is mostly just to like archive it and get it saved so that in the future, people can look back at it, or people now can look at it and see like what you guys are going through and hopefully bring change.
Caller: Oh at first – at first, when I first read you guys’ letter, I thought you guys wanted a little documentary, like a testimony. You know what I mean, so I was like, oh, I get to start all over from the beginning, why we chose the life that we chose and why we do the things that we do, you know what I mean. Like what transformed us to be the persons that we are.
And what made us, you know what I mean, like to change the way we are now, you know like in a positive way. That’s what at first I thought it was, you know what I mean?
Cause it says like college people, you know what I mean, like they want to know like a little bit about background. That’s why when I called you, I asked like what it is that you guys want to know, like our life story or something, because I have a pretty good little testimony.
UCI: Oh, yeah.
Caller: All the – all the struggles and that I’ve gone, you know what I mean, — all the obstacles that I’ve been through, you know what I mean, growing up.
It has been a little rough, you know what I mean? Choosing, because we all come from broken homes, you know? Some of us worse than others or different from others, you know, but I’m no better than others, you know what I mean.
We just experience things different from others, you know? And I chose the wrong path, I went to gangs—drugs, you know what I mean. I’ve been involved in riots, stabbings, all that, you know, you know what I mean.
I’ve been investigated. I can talk about this because it has all been investigated already, you know? But I think – but I thought that’s what it was about, you know what I mean?
That’s why I said like I’ve got a good little testimony, you know what I mean, like if you guys wanted like to produce that, you know what I mean, anonymously, or it really doesn’t matter if you guys say the name or not. You know what I mean? Like, you know what I mean, like to help others not to choose the same paths that we did.
You know what I mean? Because there’s better – better ways – you know, instead of being or getting stuck like the way we got stuck, you know?
UCI: Definitely. I’m not sure if we take testimonies as well because I think that would be an awesome idea. A lot of the times, when people call, they do share some of their testimony.
You are welcome to share any of it that you want right now. And then if you want to call again in the future, that’s cool too.
Caller: Yeah, well, – well like I – I don’t know if you guys are – if you’re satisfied with what has been discussed already or if you want to call back, you know what I mean? But if I do call back or to discuss – can I just – can I discuss it with you since I’m already familiar with you and I’ve spoken to you already, and I feel comfortable with you, or how does that work?
UCI: There’s actually a couple of us that are on the hotline team. I think it’s only – well yeah, it’s only a couple of us, so odds are that I will probably talk to you again, but, if not, anybody here on the team can take your story. And everybody is like a great listener, great feedback.
Yeah, anybody can take your story, and I’m sure you’ll feel comfortable with them as well, but if you don’t, you can always call back and see when I’m on again. I don’t have like a set schedule every week, so I wouldn’t be able to tell you when I’m on again.
Caller: Who do I ask for — are you allowed to say your name?
UCI: Oh yeah, my name is [redacted], but I know —
Caller: What – it kind of echoes. What is it?
UCI: It’s [redacted].
Caller: Oh.
UCI: Yeah.
Caller: Oh, I like that. That’s – that’s a cute name. That’s – that’s nice.
UCI: Thank you, thank you.
Caller: Like a Rose.
UCI: Oh, yeah. Little flower, it means in Spanish.
Caller: Every time I – I look at a rose, I’m gonna be thinking of you.
UCI: Thank you. But, yeah, anybody can take your story, and you’re always welcome to call and share more. I know you said you’re gonna get out in three weeks, so you can also call us from a personal number, and then you can also send us letters if you wanted to share any of your story in a letter.
Caller: Okay, so I could write you guys to that address that’s on the envelope, right? And if I have any questions or anything that pops up, I could just call and ask for you at this number, right?
UCI: Yeah, definitely.
Caller: Okay.
UCI: Yeah. But, again, you don’t always have to ask for me. You can – anybody would be more than willing and – yeah, more than willing to take your story as well.
Caller: Okay, I really do appreciate this – this conversation. Thank you so much.
UCI: Thank you. Have a good night.
Caller: It kind of – kind of really helps. It made me like feel better.
UCI: That’s great. I’m so happy to hear that.
Caller: Okay well, it was nice talking to you and you guys have a good night.
UCI: Thank you. You too. Bye-bye.
Caller: Oh, okay. Bye.
