This letter was written by a person incarcerated at New Folsom.
PrisonPandemic,
Hello, how are you doing out there in the free world? I hope that everything has been well. As for myself, behind these walls I’m doing all right considering all that I’m forced to endure at the moment.
Well, I’m writing to let you know that I just received your letter and that I appreciate you writing to me. Well here’s a little about me, so that you have a clear understanding of who you are corresponding with.
I am a 36 year old Black male from South Central Los Angeles. I’ve been incarcerated 14 and a half years on a 25-year sentence but I’m eligible to be released September 2021 of this year.
Well, it’s been kind of hard here in prison during this COVID-19 pandemic. There’s been a quite of deaths behind these walls due to this pandemic. We have to adjust to the new program that’s being ran inside these facilities because due to COVID-19, the program changes daily and we don’t know what to expect on a daily basis here.
This pandemic has not only been hard for us inside a prison, it’s been hard on the whole world. And for the most part, I’ve been saving here, but at first I was afraid of the COVID-19 pandemic and also the vaccine. I saw what COVID-19 was doing to the world and I felt the vaccine was created too fast and I didn’t fully understand what was inside the vaccine.
But as time went by I took both of my vaccine shots. I did so because I rather take my chances with the vaccine rather than COVID-19. And about reduced visitation, that has been the hardest part for me to deal with. I went from having visits every weekend to having none at all for a year which has taken a toll on me and my family.
I have two young children who gotten used to me spending time with them on the weekends and now they wonder why they can’t see me anymore, because they don’t understand this COVID-19 pandemic. They just started in person contact visiting but you’re only allowed an hour to visit with our loved ones.
I don’t believe that’s fair to everyone whose loved ones that has to travel long distance to only get one hour to visit. My wife has to travel eight hours driving to visit with me at this prison. I would allow her to come visit me when visiting fully opens up for more than one hour because I don’t want my wife to come this far for only one hour of visiting.
It’s been really hard for my loves not being able to see me. It’s been real stressful for my wife because our weekend visits was our family time together that we both depended on. The way I deal with this is I spend most of my time talking to my wife and children over the phone because that’s what keeps me sane.
Most inmates and staff have taken the vaccinations here at my facility. So I’m hoping now that things will start opening back up for us and the rest of our family out there.
Well PrisonPandemic, like I said thanks again for writing to me and I really hope this letter will help you and your team with the project that you guys are working on. I hope that we will be able to continue corresponding with each other. Well I hope you and your team take care out there and be safe.
Always.
