This story was told by a person incarcerated at Donovan.
Caller: It’s just really difficult for me emotionally. You know, I’m in a building too, where the phones don’t work. There’s six phones in here, three of them don’t work. We’ve been having problems with the phones for, since last year. And there’s not enough phones for people to get a time.
So we’re not getting visits, we’re not having access to our family being able to use the phone and to call our people. People are getting into it, people are on edge, it’s not a good situation. We have brought up the issue with the phones to, we’ve written 602s and the warden knows about it. We spoke with an ombudsman the other day, and she said she’s going to do something to fix the phones, they still haven’t been fixed.
It’s really a bad situation. We don’t have access to our people like that, and people are dying in here, so you never know when the last time you’ll be able to hear some family. So it creates a lot of anxiety and fear, and it’s just not a good situation.
UCI: Yeah. And also, regarding programming, is that also very limited?
Caller: Yeah, they opened up programming, where they’re allowing outside people to come in, in whole groups, but I think it’s still like, limited. None of the groups that I was in before the pandemic hit have been reinstated, so I’m still in no groups. Me personally.
But I have heard them call a few different groups daily, they’re calling schools and stuff. But it’s not fully resumed, but they did ease up somewhat. Technically right now we’re at phase two, so they have lifted some restrictions, but yeah, it’s not back to normal.
UCI: Okay. And you know, considering the reduced visitation and programming, and, you know, the whole COVID situation, how have you been coping with it?
Caller: I just do my best. I’m a positive and optimistic person just in general. So I just tend to look on the bright side of things and just have hope. But it has been difficult, it’s been really difficult.
Like I said, I was about to get married, so that I can, you know, have family visits with my fiancé, but like I said that was slammed like, two weeks before visiting happened.
