This letter was written by a person incarcerated at Tracy.
Hello PrisonPandemic,
I’ve received a letter from you asking about my experience as it relates to the impact of COVID while incarcerated. I’ve been incarcerated close to 20 years. Most of which were on level four facilities. But when COVID hit, I was at this prison called DVI in Tracy, California.
It’s been about a year now and the biggest toll this strange pandemic has had would be on my family the most. It’s been 12 months and I haven’t even been able to receive a video visit from my family, because we’re being told that we’re on quarantine. What I don’t understand is even when we test negative for a year – we’re still not able to receive video visits.
That takes a huge mental toll on us and our families that most people can’t understand. I watch people on the news all the time who thinks it’s crazy to release inmates due to this pandemic. I just laugh to myself, because although I committed a crime which put me here, that doesn’t make me less of a human being.
It’s true that there are people in here who truly need to stay here because they will never learn their lesson.
This pandemic has put everything on pause. No one can even attend any self-help classes if they wanted to. It’s just a depressing place to be. No visits in a year, no self-help programs, no school, no work, no nothing.
We sit in a cell 24 hours a day, and every third day we get to go outside for an hour and a half. We get one phone call every three days at this prison.
I was just granted parole almost 90 days ago when I went to my parole board hearing, and I thank God! I committed 15 robberies when I was 18 years old. I’m now 36 with a much better understanding of freedom. This is my second chance and I guarantee I’ll make the best of it.
Prison isn’t an experience I’d wish upon anyone. Safety inside these walls don’t exist. We were in a wing within prison that had zero positive cases of COVID. What did the administration do?
They moved people who were known positive cases to our wing in order to put our wing in quarantine.
The people they moved in this wing passed COVID to other inmates and, of course, we don’t have the option to be in a cell by ourselves. So they make us take other inmates as cellmates who are known positive cases.
To sum this up, this is a very depressing environment, and I thank God I will be leaving within the next 60 days. Thank you so much for giving us a voice out there. Your work is greatly appreciated.
Sincerely.
